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New broadband speed test reveals how bad the UK’s internet really is

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If you think your broadband speeds aren’t up to scratch you are definitely not alone. The very latest world internet speed league has just been revealed and the UK is way down the list when comes to offering the fastest downloads. That’s according to a new annual study from the team at Cable.co.uk who say they have conducted around 1.3billion tests across the globe to discover which parts of the planet offer the finest broadband.

So who came out on top and how well does the UK perform in comparison?

The number 1 place if you want speedy downloads is Jersey with residents of this island, nestled off the north-west of France, seeing average speeds of around 264Mbps. That’s easily fast enough to download a full HD movie in around 2 minutes.

Next in the top five is Liechtenstein (246Mbps), followed by Macau (231Mbps), Iceland (229Mbps) and Gibraltar (206Mbps). Those averages are pretty impressive but the same can’t be said for the UK.

According to Cable.co.uk, Britain languishes all the way down in 34th place with a speed score of just 93Mbps – that’s almost three times slower than Jersey! Other countries that beat us include Romania (100Mbps), Spain (133Mbps), Andorra (190Mbps), Slovenia (97Mbps) and even Puerto Rico (96Mbps).

Luckily, there is some better news with the UK’s average speeds increasing slightly over last year which shows things are slowly improving. However, there’s still a long way to go before homes are experiencing the speeds they truly deserve.

If your downloads are driving you to distraction it’s worth checking if any Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) upgrades have been rolled out in your street as you might actually find quicker internet access is now available.

Another top tip is to shop around as some smaller providers – known as Alt Networks – continue to pop up all over the UK and often offer very fast speeds for a cheaper price. For example, London’s Community Fibre currently has its 1Gbps service for just £25 per month and Hyperoptic has 500Mbps free for the first three months.

Speaking about the latest stats, Howdle, consumer telecoms analyst at Cable.co.uk, said: “The UK continues to keep apace with average speeds around the world, failing to gain ground on other countries in the global league table, while at the same time maintaining roughly the same position.

“Speeds have increased globally by 30.044% since the same period in 2021/2022, while UK speeds have increased by 29.933% across the same period. Meanwhile, Europe continues to dominate the global league table, extending its lead over much of the world as FTTP full fibre continues to make an increasingly large dent in consumer uptake.”



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Amazon makes Sonos speakers more affordable as rare sale begins

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If it’s new audio equipment you’re after to upgrade your home’s sound system then one of the brands to seriously consider is Sonos. The firm is famed for its excellent quality speakers and soundbars that link together to provide a full network in your house.

You could get one speaker for the kitchen or kit out every room in your domain with a Sonos product, all controllable via the Sonos app.

Now, just in time for Mother’s Day, Amazon is running a sale on several popular Sonos products, with money off speakers, headphones and home theatre equipment.

These Sonos deals are each being described as an ‘Early Spring Deal’, which seems to be set to coincide with Amazon’s upcoming Spring Deal Days sales event that is confirmed to run from Tuesday March 25 to Monday March 31.

One eye-catching Sonos saving is on the Sonos Roam 2, now down to £139 from £179. It’s the firm’s latest portable Bluetooth speaker with full waterproofing, 10 hours battery life and voice control tech, as well as superior sound quality whether you’re blasting tunes in your bedroom or at the park barbeque.

The clever design lets you set it upright or on its side depending on where you want to place it, plus it has Apple AirPlay 2 built in for easier linking with iPhones (but works just as well with Android via Bluetooth). You can even use it as a smart speaker thanks to built-in Amazon Alexa.

For even beefier portable audio that can truly soundtrack your next party, the Sonos Move 2 is down to £359 from £449. It has 24 hour battery life and can be set in the home on its charging base, ready to be grabbed and stuck in your garden when the sun comes out.

View all the Sonos deals at Amazon

Express.co.uk tech editor Dave Snelling swears by the Sonos Ace over-ear headphones, and they are now on sale for £379, a sharp discount on their usual £449. In his four-and-a-half-star review, Snelling praised the Ace’s comfort, sound, battery life and noise cancellation. I can tell you that he wears these over any other headphones still.

If it’s great sound you want but need purely indoor audio and the option to add several speakers to the set up, the Sonos Era 100 is the one for you, now at £199 instead of £249. This is the latest flagship Sonos speaker, priced so you can put one in each room of your house or buy a couple and link them as a stereo pair for expansive sound.

Sonos’s indoor system works over your home Wi-Fi network via its app, allowing you to stream music from all the major popular streaming services. The app lets you play from certain speakers or move things from one room to another. The Era 100 also works with Sonos’s Trueplay tech that can analyse the acoustics of the room it’s in to tune the speaker to sound its best in the space.

Lastly if you want to upgrade your TV’s audio then there’s the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), which is on sale for £339, £110 off its £449 RRP.

We’re not sure how long these prices will last on Amazon, but the sale is also on with identical pricing directly from Sonos. Sonos told us their sale is running until March 31.



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First Sky, now Virgin Media wants to change the way some homes watch TV

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The way we all consume TV is changing. Sky recently confirmed that 90 percent of new devices sold are powered by broadband rather than a dish, and the team behind Freeview continue to push the new Freely platform, which beams content to the big screen via an internet connection.

Now it seems Virgin Media is starting to push more of its users over to watching content via the web via a small and subtle change.

Until now, customers using Virgin’s cable connected TV 360 box could then add extra TV 360 mini devices to other rooms.

All of these boxes are linked up, allowing homes to watch live and on-demand content as well as recordings away from the main 360 device. It’s very similar to Sky Q and Sky Q mini boxes but it seems it could be the beginning of the end for the TV 360 mini.

As spotted by the eagle-eyed team at Cordbusters, Virgin has begun to stop selling TV 360 mini to new customers with those wanting multi-room getting a Virgin Stream box instead.

The change began late last year with Virgin confirming to Express.co.uk that it isn’t officially killing off its TV 360 mini system but is no longer supplying it to those signing up for a new contract.

For those not aware, Virgin Media Stream launched back in 2022 and offers an easy way to watch content using the internet. It also comes pre-loaded with apps such as Disney+, Netflix and more.

It’s unclear why Virgin has made this change, but it could be a sign that it also wants more people streaming rather than tuning in via traditional methods.

One of the bonuses of streaming devices is that they can be sent out in the post, can be DIY installed and don’t need an engineer to visit.

That not only cuts down on cost but also means customers don’t have to wait for an appointment.

The future of TV definitely appears to be heading online – even Freeview could be under threat in the future as more people switch to more modern platforms.

Watch this space.



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Argos shoppers rush to grab cheaper Galaxy S25 thanks to surprise new

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The Galaxy S25 was only launched back in February but Samsung fans can already grab a very decent discount on this range of flagship phones. Argos has just announced a surprise deal that is slashing the cost of all models – including the standard S25, bigger S25 Plus and ultimate S25 Ultra – by a whopping £100. To the money off, you just need to type in the SAMSUNG100 code at the checkout – it’s as easy as that.

This offer means you can currently pick up this top-rated flagship for as little as £699.

YOU CAN SEE THE ARGOS DEAL HERE

This price drop is clearly proving popular with Argos confirming that it is currently “in demand” and “selling fast”. Argos isn’t the only retailer offering this £100 off with Currys also dishing out a similar deal on its website.

Samsung also this offer available on its site along with has a slightly different promotion as well. The retailer is giving away double storage upgrades for free. That means you can get the bigger 256GB model for the same price as the standard 128GB version.

There’s even the option to bag the £1,349 512GB S25 Ultra and only pay £1,249 – that’s the usual cost of the 256GB model.

YOU CAN SEE THE SAMSUNG DEALS HERE

If those offers sound enticing, then you won’t be disappointed by the phones, which all come with a faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and improved Galaxy AI, which can even give you a morning briefing about the day ahead.

The Ultra also gets a design refresh with a bigger 6.9-inch screen, and the quad rear camera also gets a boost for better photos.

This model continues to feature the S Pen, which pops out from the titanium case and lets owners scribble in the display without using their fingers.

Other extras worth mentioning include toughened glass to stop things cracking if dropped, long battery life, fast charging and some new colours to choose from.



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