Broadband in Liverpool

Broadband in Liverpool is a bit of a mixed bag. Compared to other UK cities there is a very noticeable disparity in the availability of superfast fibre optic broadband from one area to the next, even for suburbs that lie close to each other.

There are also many homes where low ADSL broadband speeds of just 2Mbps sit alongside the UK’s fastest fibre optic network which can deliver speeds of up to 100Mbps. Fortunately Liverpool’s broadband infrastructure is in the process of some pretty significant upgrades including the FibreNet initiative, so the future seems bright for Liverpool broadband.

Liverpool life

Liverpool is a bustling city, right at the heart of European culture, with a growing population that already stands at more than 465,000 in the city itself, and almost 1.4 million in Merseyside as a whole. The local population is bolstered by the presence of three Higher Education institutions: The University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Liverpool Hope University. Sir Paul McCartney’s Institute of Performing Arts also resides just on the outskirts of the city centre, in the shadow of the magnificent cathedral.

Each year, countless thousands of tourists and holidaymakers from across the country and across the world flock to Liverpool to take in the famed nightlife, to explore its history, its place in pop culture history as The Guinness Book of Record’s “World Capital City of Pop” and as the home of two Premier League football teams. All of these reasons and more are behind Liverpool’s drive to bring better and faster broadband to benefit the residents and businesses of this proud maritime city.

Fibre broadband

According to Ofcom figures, more than three-quarters of Liverpool homes fall within reach of at least one fibre optic network.

Much of Liverpool benefits from a good level of Virgin Media broadband availability at speeds up to 100Mbps obtainable by many thousands of local residents. It is strange though how much the availability of Virgin fibre broadband can vary across even small areas of the city’s suburbs, although it is hoped that these deadspots will be addressed as the network continues to be expanded.

Areas with good levels of Virgin coverage include some parts of the city centre, Anfield, Everton, parts of Formby, Kirkby, the student friendly Mossley Hill and Waterloo. Residents in these areas can choose from a great range of broadband options, either in standalone packages or in bundles with cable TV and/or home phone services.

Lagging somewhat behind at the moment is the BT Infinity fibre optic broadband service. Some areas do benefit from coverage but these are few and far between, although some residential areas including popular student haunts off Hardman Street can receive BT Infinity but not Virgin Media. Somewhat surprisingly there is a good level of availability in some of the more outlying suburbs, including Fazakerley, Litherland and Formby.

There are dozens of Liverpool exchanges due for upgrade to BT Infinity standard, which is great news for Liverpudlians, as increased competition in the fibre optic broadband market will hopefully lead to a better range of deals for consumers.

Of particular interest to Liverpool businesses is the FibreNet initiative, a government backed scheme to provide ultra-fast up to 10Gbps fibre optic broadband. This pilot scheme is thought to be the world’s fastest commercially available broadband service, and it has been very warmly received in the city. The availability of such an advanced network is clearly a boon for locally-based, international-focussed businesses.

Standard broadband

Fibre optic broadband is all well and good if you want to download massive HD movie files quickly, but what if your online activities are more sedate? And what if you simply can’t get fibre optic broadband in your area, at least for the time being?

Well fortunately the telephone network connects the whole city, meaning that there is almost universal availability for standard home broadband services. All of the biggest names offer a good range of home broadband packages to almost every corner of Liverpool and its surroundings - plus a few other names you might not know so well.

There are still some areas where standard ADSL broadband speeds can be disappointing, including parts of Fazakerley, Formby, Kirkby and Litherland where speeds can be as low as 2Mbps, and in some instances even worse.

At the top of this page you’ll find our postcode checker. You can use this to find out exactly which broadband providers, packages and deals are available in your part of Liverpool. It also enables us to show you the kinds of speeds you can expect from standard, high-speed and fibre optic broadband based upon your location to help you make the most informed decision possible.