Best broadband deals by upload speed
Aaron Howdle | December 15th, 2021
Most of us don't give much thought to the upload speed we get from our broadband provider - we're more interested in download speed for streaming purposes. However, whether you upload a lot of photos, videos or other files on a regular basis, or whether you work from home, the ability to submit large files quickly has gained importance. Cloud storage allows us to work on a project at home, then access those files easily at work.
A fast upload speed can mean the difference between arriving at work and diving straight in, and despair at the realisation your files weren't fully uploaded when you shut your computer down. Here are the five best upload speed deals on the market now.
BT Fibre 2
BT Fibre 2 Broadband (previously Superfast Fibre 2) offers the same 17-20Mbps upload speeds as most of the other providers on this list, but you do get quite a few extras for the price. Line rental is optional with pay as you go landline calls, and different calling plans are available for an additional monthly fee. BT also provides up to 1TB (1000GB) of cloud storage for free with this deal. In addition to these perks, BT customers can use over five million Wi-Fi hotspots around the UK.
- £50 Virtual Reward Card
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67Mb average speed
- Unlimited monthly downloads
- Zero one-off cost
- 24 month contract
- No phone line
The other stand-out feature of BT's mid-range fibre package is BT's Smart Hubs, which it claims have the most powerful Wi-Fi of all major broadband providers. Although note that when BT says 'most powerful Wi-Fi' it is not referring to the connection speed; it means how far away from your router you can go without losing your Wi-Fi signal.
Virgin Media Gig1 Fibre Broadband
When it comes to download speed, Virgin Media easily outpaces the competition. Despite this, Virgin Media's upload speeds are not comparably speedy. In order to get Virgin's best upload speed of 104Mbps, you have to be prepared to pay for its top download speed package, Gig1 Fibre Broadband.
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1.1Gb average speed
- Unlimited monthly downloads
- Zero one-off cost
- 18 month contract
- No phone line
There is no activation or setup fee for this blistering fast 1130Mbps service, and the contract is for 18-months. However, if you want even more flexibility, you can get this package on a one-month contract too. With download speeds almost much faster than those of other providers, and a decent upload speed, Virgin Media is ahead of the pack.
TalkTalk Full Fibre 900
The top-end package from TalkTalk promises average upload speeds up to 110Mbps with no upload or download usage limit. Unlike most providers, TalkTalk guarantees it won't increase the price of your package over the course of your contract. TalkTalk was also the first UK provider to introduce parental controls, which remains a useful feature for parents
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944Mb average speed
- Unlimited monthly downloads
- Zero one-off cost
- 18 month contract
- No phone line
With every plus, there is often a downside. In TalkTalk's case, it's their reputation for poor customer service. On the other hand, a little extra time on the phone in the event of a problem, may be worth it, considering the money you will save.
What upload speeds do I need?
Gaming
Most games don't require much information to be sent to and from the game's servers. So any of the upload speeds on our list are more than fast enough. However, latency can be an issue. Latency is the speed with which a command makes it through the system. A slow Wi-Fi connection between your gaming device and your router can take away your advantage. To reduce latency issues, connect to the broadband router with an ethernet cable instead of Wi-Fi and disconnect any other devices from your router/Wi-Fi while you are playing.
Streaming live video
As with uploading any large files, you want the fastest upload speeds available in your area, so if you can get a package with 20Mbps upload speed and it's within budget, then do.
Video chat
Zoom, Skype and other video call providers recommend an upload speed of anywhere from 1.5 to 3Mbps for HD video calling. It may seem odd, but this requirement decreases if more people are in the chat. This is because the video windows will be smaller, and therefore lower resolution for each person. For example, a video chat between four people requires an upload speed of 512Kbps. However the required download speed increases as more people are added to a group chat.
Uploading large files
The faster your upload speed the better. For example a 450MB file (roughly equivalent to a TV show) will take around 3 minutes to upload if your upload speed is 20Mbps, whereas the same file will only take about 1 minute if your upload speed is 60Mbps.
Cloud storage
The faster your upload speed, the better. However, there can be bottlenecks further up the line at the cloud storage provider, as is evidenced by the volume of complaints on forums for iCloud and other cloud storage providers. So having a fast upload speed will help, but doesn't necessarily guarantee that your massive photo library will back-up quickly.
