Broadband in Bristol

Broadband in Bristol

Bristol is a picturesque city in South West England, and a popular draw for tourists because of its beautiful examples of architecture.  It’s also a location famously linked with seafaring; it served as a base for a number of voyages around the 15th and 16th centuries, including John Cabot’s venture overseas in 1497, which saw him become the first European to reach North America.

A Superconnected city

It's a city proud of its history and heritage, but it's also a city that embraces modern culture, science and technology.  The industries of aerospace, media and financial services all form a key part of the economy, so it’s no surprise that there is plenty of demand for fast broadband in Bristol.

In 2012, Bristol successfully bid to be recognised as a Superconnected City, and this saw £11.3m being awarded by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.  Some of this funding has been used to provide connection vouchers which help small- and medium-sized businesses access superfast broadband.  The vouchers cover the upfront expense of installation, so it’s great news for those businesses.

Residents are also enjoying generally improved connectivity, as providers rollout their fibre networks to more streets.  For those without fibre, ADSL is the alternative, and is widely available across the city.

Speeds and availability

A number of Bristol postcodes see superfast broadband speeds on average, with BS4, BS10 and BS15 amongst some of the fastest.  Although every street in those postcodes may not be connected to fibre, averages of around 20Mb or above mean residents have a good chance of seeing availability.

If you get a Virgin Media service then you should have the option of at least 50Mb broadband, although speeds through Wi-Fi can vary so you’ll get your fastest connection by running the Ethernet cable to your laptop.  Other fibre providers will offer up to 38Mb or 76Mb in certain areas.

If you are using ADSL, then your speeds will be limited to around 17Mb, with actual speeds likely to be closer to 10Mb or below.

Broadband providers

Virgin Media has installed its fibre network in a number of centrally located streets, as well as locations towards the outskirts.

Sky, TalkTalk and Plusnet all have fibre take-up in Bristol, along with BT, and you can also order it through SSE in several streets.

Zen Internet, Eclipse and BE also run services, although mostly ADSL in Bristol.

Summary

Those moving to Bristol, or already living there and interested in broadband, will be pleased to know that fibre connectivity is very good.  Businesses have also benefited from a contribution to the install of a superfast connection.  Some areas are still limited to ADSL, but there is plenty of choice regarding broadband providers, and some good value packages on offer.