How to improve broadband speed in a rural area

It’s no secret that rural areas have a reputation for slow broadband. Approximately, 10.5 million people live in rural areas across the UK, making up a whopping 15% of the population that are potentially left with slow, lagging, unreliable broadband and no way to fix it.

If you’re one of the many people looking to improve your broadband speed in a rural area, then there's a few things you can do to to make the most out of your internet connection.

Rural broadband: What are the challenges?

Across the UK, rural areas face several key challenges when it comes to connectivity:

• Lack of infrastructure: Rural areas often lack the physical infrastructure, like masts, poles and telephone exchanges, needed for strong connectivity. Installation can be costly, as homes are often spread out and the terrain can make construction difficult.

• Areas underserved by providers: Some providers avoid supplying or upgrading parts of the country that are less densely populated. This leaves residents with poor-quality connection or huge costs that they sometimes have to foot the bill for themselves to improve.

• Distance from telephone exchanges: With traditional copper cables, for broadband connections like ADSL, ADSL2 and Part Fibre (FTTC), performance can drop over distance. In rural areas, where exchanges are fewer and further apart, speeds can suffer significantly.

• Poor signal coverage: Natural features like hills, valleys, trees as well as harsher weather can make it harder to get a reliable signal.

How to increase your broadband speed in a rural area

These rural challenges don’t mean giving up all hope of boosting your broadband speed. If you live in the countryside and are suffering slow speeds, you have a number of options at your fingertips…

Upgrade to full fibre

The biggest game-changer for your internet speed, hands down, is if you can get a full fibre connection. Not to be confused with part fibre or FTTC, full fibre offers a dedicated fibre optic connection straight into your home. No sharing with neighbours, no slowing down over distances or peak-time congestion. Just much better, more reliable performance, all round.

With Ofcom aiming to cover 95% of the UK by 2028, full fibre is increasingly available in rural areas and, crucially, is the key to unlocking broadband built for the future.

Choose Gigabit broadband speeds 

A Gigabit broadband package can propel your internet connection to new heights. Gigabit (Gbps) speeds are extremely fast and are designed to handle even the most demanding internet usage – whether that’s long days working from home, serious gaming sessions or streaming multiple TVs and devices across the home. Gigabit speeds can handle dozens of devices and heavy internet usage with ease and could be the key to boosting the reliability of your connection.

Explore mobile broadband

A more modern approach to broadband for those that are savvy with their phones is Mobile broadband. Mobile broadband uses a Mi-Fi router or hub that taps into your chosen mobile network. In some rural areas, it’s a viable option but it relies on decent 4G or 5G signal to make it worth your while. Typically, mobile broadband speeds only push 300Mbps, at best. That’s enough speed for straightforward activities, but it’d be a struggle with heavy homeworking or multiple users at once.

Consider satellite internet

Some rural homes are harder to connect to broadband than others, especially if you're in a remote location and your local full fibre provider can’t install network access. Satellite broadband removes the need for infrastructure on the ground by getting your broadband beamed in from space to a satellite dish. The downside? It tends to be a more expensive option and is generally only available at speeds up to 500Mbps, much slower than full fibre.

Choose LightSpeed

At LightSpeed, our reliable full fibre network is growing all the time, and we already reach areas that have been overlooked by other providers. Anywhere we’re available, you can access quality full fibre at a range of Gigabit speeds, right up to 5Gbps.

What’s more, we’re experienced in serving rural communities and we know how to optimise your setup for your home and location. Check our availability in your area today and get in touch if you’d like to find out how we can provide your home with ultra-fast broadband.