Broadband Guides

Broadband upload speeds

Updated: Tuesday 29 November, 2011

By Editorial - news@consumerchoices.co.uk

Your broadband upload speed could make a big difference to how you use your internet connection. But what is an upload speed and how can you make the most of it?

What is a “fast” broadband upload speed?

Your broadband upload speed is the speed at which you can upload information to the internet. Internet service providers (ISPs) don’t advertise these speeds very well, because consumers tend to download a lot more than they upload, but you might need a decent broadband upload speed depending on how you use your internet connection.

Download speeds advertised by providers have leapt up in the last year with the coming of age of cable. Virgin Media (www.VirginMedia.com), BT broadband (www.BT.com) and a number of smaller providers now offer up to 100Mb connections in certain areas. BT is aiming to expand its fibre network to 40% of the UK by 2012, and to two-thirds of the population by 2014.

Outside of the cable network, speeds of up to 20Mb are fairly widely available.

However, broadband upload speeds are significantly slower than the download speeds on offer. ISPs prioritise downloading because it’s done a lot more often – every time we visit a webpage, the information on it is downloaded to us, so it’s no surprise that download speeds are seen as more important.

If your broadband upload speed is as much as 2.5Mb, you’re doing well. Speeds of between 1 and 2.5Mb are average, but the same rules apply to upload speeds as to download speeds: the speed will be affected by a number of factors, including distance from your local telephone exchange and the number of people sharing your connection (known as the contention ratio).

ISPs with fast upload speeds

Only a small number of providers offer broadband packages with fast upload speeds.

BT Infinity's 100Mb service offers an upload speed of up to 15Mb - the fastest commercially available, which is, BT claims, almost twice the upload speed offered by Virgin Media.

BE (www.bethere.co.uk) has upload speeds of up to 1.3Mb on its Value and Unlimited packages, and speeds of up to 2.5Mb on its Pro plan. BE's Unlimited and Pro broadband packages both have unlimited downloads and flexible contract options of either 3 or 12 months.

TalkTalk (www.TalkTalk.co.uk) have upload speeds of up to 1Mb available to customers within its own network - local loop unbundled (LLU) - area, but just 0.5Mb to non-LLU customers.

If fast download speeds are equally important to you, Virgin Media (www.VirginMedia.com) offers an alternative to BT. The upload speeds on Its 50Mb package are increasing to up to 5Mb.

Why do I need a fast broadband upload speed?

Online gaming - When you play a high-quality online game, either on your PC or through a console, your connection will need to send information to the computers of your competitors via the internet. If you play online games with a slow upload speed you might find the image freezing or slowing down. Check our guide to the best ISPs for gaming.

File sharing - If you share music or movie files online, a fast broadband upload speed will reduce the time it takes to do this. And, if you work from home using a remote network, your work files will transfer quicker. Check our guide to the best ISPs for downloading.

Social networking - If you use sites like Facebook and Twitpic to share photos, you’ll be familiar with the long wait between finding the right photos and having them appear on your profile, especially if you’re uploading lots of pictures at once. A fast broadband upload speed will improve this dramatically.