Broadband speeds revealed in Portsmouth, Havant, Hayling Island, Fareham, Gosport

PORTSMOUTH could ‘lead the way’ for technology based businesses in the future as new data showed the city has faster internet connection than most of the UK.
CityFibre workers installing fibre network connections in Frensham Road, Southsea, on May 29. Picture: Ben FishwickCityFibre workers installing fibre network connections in Frensham Road, Southsea, on May 29. Picture: Ben Fishwick
CityFibre workers installing fibre network connections in Frensham Road, Southsea, on May 29. Picture: Ben Fishwick

Figures from the House of Commons Library revealed areas of the city had a significantly higher broadband speed in May 2019, compared to the average for the rest of the country of 60.9 megabits per second (Mbps).

The fastest area in Portsmouth was Paulsgrove East, where the average download speed was 95.3Mbps.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And the slowest was Fratton West and Portsea where the average speed of 68Mbps was still above the average and much higher than Ofcom’s definition of ‘superfast’ downloads – 30Mbps.

Read More
Concerns over roadworks to lay out new fibre optic internet

Stef Nienaltowski, the chief executive officer of Shaping Portsmouth, which aims to boost business and education in the city, explained how the internet had been a lifeline to many during the pandemic.

‘About 80 per cent of businesses I have spoken to in the last weeks have relied massively on their online presence and using the internet,’ he said.

‘We ran a Shaping Portsmouth conference recently and 93 people were able to join us individually on a video call and it was almost flawless. Imagine trying to do that without fast broadband.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘I don't think we are going to see a return to the “old normal” desk-based way of working. Therefore we have got to change our infrastructure to support this.’

It comes as internet network company CityFibre is currently working in Portsmouth to roll out fibre optic broadband across the whole city.

Mr Nienaltowski added: ‘The fact that we already have faster internet than the UK average and that we’re having fibre optic internet rolled out soon reinforces the idea that Portsmouth is in a good position to lead the way for technology based businesses.’

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Councillor Suzy Horton, the council’s education cabinet member, said work needed to continue to ensure there is no ‘digital inequality’ among students. She said: ‘It's good to hear we're in a better position than other places.

‘The impact could not be starker at the moment when we know that so far during the pandemic the majority of children have been doing some form of learning at home with digital means. But moving forward for both the short and long term there's going to be some level of digital engagement from home.

‘We need to make sure there's digital equality in our city, which means access to devices for all children as well as decent speed internet. We should use this time to make sure there is equality in that way.’

In the area covered by The News the slowest download speed recorded was 59Mbps in Hayling West and North, in the borough of Havant. The fastest in Havant was in West Leigh, which was an average of 88.8Mbps.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The figures reflect speeds received rather than those available, as some people may have access to faster connections than the ones they pay for.

Earlier this year, the government announced a £5bn investment to roll out faster broadband to the hardest to reach areas across the nation.

Some of the highest and lowest download speeds recorded in May 2019

Portsmouth South

Southsea Fawcett Road - 93.2Mbps

Fratton West and Portsea - 68Mbps

Portsmouth North

Paulsgrove East - 95.3Mbps

Milton - 75.9

Havant

West Leigh - 88.8Mbps

Hayling West and North - 58Mbps

Gosport

Bridgemary South - 88.8Mbps

Lee-on-the-Solent - 67.5Mbps

Fareham

Portchester South East - 93.4Mbps

Titchfield and Titchfield Common - 62.8Mbps

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.