LONDON -- Download broadband speeds in the UK are on average 35% slower between off-peak and peak usage times, according to new research by independent price comparison and switching service, uSwitch.com.

The study, based on two million speed tests across the UK, reveals that only the nation's insomniacs are benefiting from the maximum headline speeds offered by providers, with the fastest average download speed of 9.6Mb/s only available between 2 and 3am. At peak surfing time between the hours of 7 to 9pm, average download speeds fall by a third to 6.2Mb/s, making the busy evening hours the slowest time of the day.

At a regional level, the difference in broadband speeds during peak and off-peak times is even more significant. According to the uSwitch data, internet users in the market town of Evesham, Worcestershire, are seeing a massive 69% fall in broadband speeds, with average morning download speeds of 15.5Mb/s falling to just 4.9Mb/s in the evening.

Similarly, in Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, the average broadband download speed falls by almost two-thirds (64%) between off-peak morning and peak evening usage times, from 9.5Mb/s to 3.4Mb/s. Wadebridge[6] in Cornwall has an even worse deal - although the morning-to-evening average broadband speeds in the area vary by a slightly less significant 49%, this represents a drop-off from a limp 4.1Mb/s during off-peak hours to a snail-like 2.1Mb/s in the evening.

Uswitch.com