Broadband in Brighton

Broadband in Brighton is in a much healthier state than many other areas of the UK. In fact, few cities can boast such a broad choice of providers and packages and such high availability for not one, but two fibre optic networks.

Whether this is as a result of local prosperity, the proximity of the University of Sussex or the multitude of tourists that visit Brighton each year, residents are lucky to have access to broadband at up to 100Mbps across huge swathes of the city, and a choice of more than a dozen standard broadband providers.

About Brighton

Home to more than 155,000 full-time residents, Brighton also boasts the University of Sussex which lies just 4 miles from the city centre on a sprawling modern campus – and being situated just 60 minutes travel time from central London puts Brighton well within the community belt. But what you might not realise is that Brighton is an exceptionally well-connected city, with an excellent range of broadband services.

Brighton is famous for being one of the UK’s foremost tourist destinations. Thousands upon thousands of holidaymakers from around the country and around the world descend on Brighton each year to enjoy the Blue Flag beach, museums, art galleries, bars and clubs. No wonder then that Brighton is as well-connected as it is!

The biggest UK providers all have a strong presence in Brighton, including BT, Sky and Virgin Media. Speeds can vary greatly across the city depending upon location, provider and broadband type from as low as just 1.5Mbps ADSL to 100Mbps fibre optic broadband – and in some areas such as Bevendean you can actually find these two extremes on the same street.

Superfast broadband

What really benefits Brighton’s broadband standing is the extensive fibre optic networks belonging to two of the UK’s biggest providers - BT and Virgin Media. Virgin Media owns and operates the UK’s most extensive fibre optic network, and currently holds the title of the UK’s fastest provider. Virgin has invested heavily into its infrastructure in the Brighton area, and many thousands of residents are able to access the top end services, especially those living in the city centre, Patcham, Hollingbury & Withdean and the popular student area Moulescoomb.

BT also offers its Infinity range of fibre optic packages to many parts of the city. BT Infinity speeds in the region aren’t yet as high as for Virgin, but they’re still incredible fast, with many thousands of residents able to get Infinity at up to 80Mbps.

Crucially, BT Infinity is available in some areas that Virgin Media is not, thus giving residents in those neighbourhoods fibre optic broadband access that they wouldn’t otherwise have. Plus, in many areas including London Road and its surroundings, residents are able to receive both services, which gives them the choice of which provider to use based upon costs and perks rather than a simple matter of availability.

Fibre optic broadband is ideal if you do a lot of bandwidth-intensive activities such as streaming or downloading movies, especially those in HD. It really comes into its own for families and shared houses – making it perfect for Brighton’s thriving student population. With broadband at 30Mbps and higher widely available across the Sussex city you'll be able to do everything you want online, no matter how many people your connection is being shared with at any given time.

Another often-overlooked benefit of access to a good fibre optic network is the increased upload speeds that come with the technology. Having an upload speed of 5Mbps or higher – which is actually faster than the download speeds a lot of consumers have to put up with – enables you to do things online that you might not be able to do otherwise, such as seamless multiplayer console gaming. High upload speeds are also a real boon for Brighton’s many businesses as it lets them share data with prospective customers, from simple PDF brochures to high quality video presentations.

Broadband to suit all needs and budgets

Fibre optic broadband is all well and good, but many consumers – arguably the majority – don’t ever use their connections for particularly strenuous tasks. After all, you don’t need a lightning fast connection to check your email.

If this sounds like you then you may well be better served with a budget broadband package. Fortunately, Brighton has a plethora of low price providers and packages to choose from with most residents able to choose between more than a dozen big names.

To find out which broadband types, providers, packages and bundles are available in your area of Brighton you can use the postcode checker at the top of this page in the “What broadband can I get?” box. Doing so will give you a clear list of the packages on offer where you live along with a breakdown of prices, and you’ll be shown your estimated download speeds for standard, high-speed and fibre optic broadband.