Darlington Broadband Statistics
Darlington is among the top 5 for fibre access out of all major towns in the North East, and is the 45th best major town in terms of fibre access across the UK as a whole. Our analysis of Ofcom coverage data shows that Gigabit fibre is available to only 0.40% of residents. UltraFast 300+ Mbps is available to 95% of residents, while SuperFast 30+ Mbps broadband is available to 99% of Darlington's households.
Great broadband infrastructure results in high speed test averages in Darlington postcodes like DL1, DL3, and DL98. Over the past year, we’ve recorded a 43 Mbps median internet speed in Darlington, which is 16% above the United Kingdom national median of 37 Mbps.
Darlington increased access to Gigabit speeds by 0.38 percentage points in the past year. The buildout rate is also better than neighbouring major towns like Redcar (lost 0.06 percentage points). In addition, real-world speed test data shows that Darlington is dramatically faster than Hurworth (781% slower) and Barmpton (24% slower).
Local broadband speeds over time
The median broadband speed in Darlington has increased by 78% over the last five years.
Local broadband speeds in context
As of 2022, the median broadband speed in Darlington is 18% higher than the North East and 14% higher than the UK overall.
| Darlington | 43 Mbps | |
| North East | 35 Mbps | |
| United Kingdom | 37 Mbps |
Darlington 2022 Broadband Scorecard
▼ 2nd lowest fibre access
Major Towns, North East
▲ 18% above regional broadband speed
North East
▲ 14% above national broadband speed
UK Overall
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Broadband Providers
Overall Performance
We rank each provider relative to all providers in The United Kingdom based on their median download and upload speeds, measured round trip time latencies, and the percentage of speeds tests that exceed 50 Mbps.
Customer Ratings
Customer ratings are based on local reviews matched to Darlington IP addresses. Providers can be scored on a range of 1 to 10, and ranked relative to all providers in The United Kingdom.
Median Speed Test Result
The median is the middle result in the range of tests we measured for each provider in Darlington in the past year. Median speeds provide a better comparison than raw averages because they control for the longtail of tests related to Wi-Fi issues. The charts below represent the distribution of tests associated with each provider from low to high.
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Broadband Network Infrastructure in Darlington
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Ofcom Fibre Access Analysis for Darlington
See the chart below for annual reporting on fibre build rates in the Darlington area. Availability is based on population in postcodes marked as served by Ofcom Connected Nations reports, according to the most recent census.
| 1,000+ Mbps | 300+ Mbps | 30+ Mbps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 0.40% | 95.16% | 99.32% |
| 2020 | 0.02% | 94.62% | 99.00% |
| 2019 | 0.02% | 96.55% | 99.18% |
| 2018 | 0.02% | 92.12% | 99.14% |
| 2017 | 0.00% | 87.07% | 98.72% |
| 2016 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 98.40% |
Map of Darlington's Fibre Broadband Availability by Postcode
Gigabit Availability
None
of people living in Darlington can obtain to 1,000+ Mbps broadband speeds
Ultrafast Speeds
95.16%
of Darlington residents can get 300+ Mbps internet service
Superfast 30+ Mbps Broadband
99.32%
availability in Darlington
Poor Broadband Speeds
None
of Darlington is limited to broadband speeds under 30 Mbps
Darlington Broadband Speeds Report
Average Broadband Speeds in Darlington
| Year | Darlington Average | United Kingdom Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 31 Mbps | 26.27 Mbps | 18.01% Faster |
| 2019 | 31.6 Mbps | 30.63 Mbps | 3.17% Faster |
| 2020 | 54.14 Mbps | 80.31 Mbps | 32.59% Slower |
| 2021 | 78.16 Mbps | 66.05 Mbps | 18.33% Faster |
Darlington Broadband Speed Distribution
| Percentage of Speed Tests in Speed Range | ||
|---|---|---|
| Internet Speed Range | Darlington | United Kingdom |
| Very Slow: under 10 Mbps | 20.58% | 19.92% |
| Slow: 10-30 Mbps | 22.24% | 25.74% |
| Adequate: 30-60 Mbps | 22.78% | 25.20% |
| Good: 60-80 Mbps | 9.17% | 10.20% |
| Fast: 80-300 Mbps | 21.09% | 15.33% |
| Very Fast: over 300 Mbps | 4.14% | 3.60% |
How Darlington Compares to Major Cities
| City / Town | Max Speed | Typical Speed Range | Median | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater London | 5794.21 Mbps | 32.96—95.6 Mbps | 45.49 Mbps | Faster |
| Darlington | 927.72 Mbps | 33.06—109 Mbps | 42.66 Mbps | - |
| Birmingham | 941.32 Mbps | 29.26—106.92 Mbps | 38.41 Mbps | Slower |
| Liverpool | 1134.53 Mbps | 25.5—89.41 Mbps | 34.55 Mbps | Slower |
| Nottingham | 2371.49 Mbps | 16.34—40.87 Mbps | 19.3 Mbps | Slower |
| Sheffield | 932.42 Mbps | 23.67—68.69 Mbps | 32.02 Mbps | Slower |
| Bristol | 943.13 Mbps | 30.28—109.85 Mbps | 42.19 Mbps | Slower |
| Glasgow | 913.93 Mbps | 20.52—71.3 Mbps | 31.97 Mbps | Slower |
| Leicester | 935.89 Mbps | 27.38—98.99 Mbps | 36.93 Mbps | Slower |
| Edinburgh | 874.24 Mbps | 29.95—107.42 Mbps | 38 Mbps | Slower |
Cities and Provider Internet Speeds in Darlington
| Position | City | Max Speed | Typical Speed Range | Median | # Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darlington | 927.72 Mbps | 33.06—109 Mbps | 42.66 Mbps | 13 |
| 2 | Bishopton | 777.79 Mbps | 29.99—67.96 Mbps | 36.27 Mbps | 8 |
| 3 | Barmpton | 940.86 Mbps | 23.67—98.5 Mbps | 34.5 Mbps | 8 |
Darlington Broadband Speeds Over Time
We class broadband speed distributions as follows: very slow under 10 Mbps; slow 10-30 Mbps; adequate 30-60 Mbps; good 60-80 Mbps; fast 80-300 Mbps; very fast over 300 Mbps.
How Darlington Compares for Internet Speed in Darlington
| Position | City / Town | Max Speed | Typical Speed Range | Median | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | High Coniscliffe | 73.36 Mbps | 60.68—61.74 Mbps | 61.31 Mbps | Faster |
| 2 | Darlington | 927.72 Mbps | 33.06—109 Mbps | 42.66 Mbps | - |
| 3 | Bishopton | 777.79 Mbps | 29.99—67.96 Mbps | 36.27 Mbps | Slower |
| 4 | Barmpton | 940.86 Mbps | 23.67—98.5 Mbps | 34.5 Mbps | Slower |
Darlington Internet Speed Test Results
We analysed the results of people in Darlington testing broadband providers multiple times, with each test starting no more than 30 minutes after the previous speed test. On average, people in Darlington ran 4 internet speed tests per session. Looking at broadband download speeds, if the Darlington resident's final test is 10% faster than their starting download speed, we count that as a succesful and faster speed test result. We count an unsuccessful, slower result if the final result is 10% slower than the starting result; we'd hope their ISP contacts them ASAP! For broadband speed tests that don't vary by that much, we consider the final result to be the same. For Darlington's residents, of the internet speed tests we measured, 45.48% were fast, 24.51% slow, and 30.01% broadly the same.
Most Recent Tests
| Provider | Start Time | # Tests | Duration | Start Speed | End Speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vodafone | 14 Jan 2022 23:39:51 | 2 | 118 secs | 66.61 Mbps | 66.46 Mbps | |
| Virgin Media | 14 Jan 2022 21:58:26 | 3 | 68 secs | 410.12 Mbps | 362.91 Mbps | Needs help |
| Virgin Media | 14 Jan 2022 21:21:03 | 17 | 11 mins | 18.01 Mbps | 40.19 Mbps | Improved |
| Virgin Media | 14 Jan 2022 21:14:47 | 2 | 49 secs | 376.68 Mbps | 374.68 Mbps | |
| Virgin Media | 14 Jan 2022 19:20:18 | 4 | 7 mins | 24.96 Mbps | 28.45 Mbps | Improved |
| Virgin Media | 14 Jan 2022 19:21:46 | 3 | 5 mins | 108.54 Mbps | 108.92 Mbps | |
| TalkTalk | 14 Jan 2022 19:04:32 | 2 | 14 mins | 28.17 Mbps | 29.19 Mbps | |
| Virgin Media | 14 Jan 2022 17:20:59 | 4 | 2 mins | 10.74 Mbps | 11.79 Mbps | |
| Virgin Media | 14 Jan 2022 16:18:03 | 2 | 48 secs | 90.08 Mbps | 89.97 Mbps | |
| EE | 14 Jan 2022 09:41:07 | 4 | 11 mins | 4.03 Mbps | 3.97 Mbps | Needs help, very slow |
| Plusnet | 14 Jan 2022 09:05:54 | 4 | 40 mins | 6.62 Mbps | 6.45 Mbps | Needs help, very slow |
| Plusnet | 13 Jan 2022 23:16:01 | 2 | 2 mins | 1.53 Mbps | 13.55 Mbps | Improved |
| Virgin Media | 13 Jan 2022 22:22:00 | 2 | 36 secs | 80.64 Mbps | 64.7 Mbps | Needs help |
| EE | 13 Jan 2022 19:36:20 | 4 | 14 mins | 3.84 Mbps | 4.01 Mbps | Needs help, very slow |
| Virgin Media | 13 Jan 2022 19:09:34 | 7 | 27 mins | 95.04 Mbps | 197.34 Mbps | Improved |
| Virgin Media | 13 Jan 2022 18:59:31 | 2 | 17 mins | 1.22 Mbps | 274.73 Mbps | Improved |
| EE | 13 Jan 2022 19:15:35 | 2 | 26 secs | 63.1 Mbps | 62.94 Mbps | |
| Virgin Media | 13 Jan 2022 18:42:34 | 3 | 2 mins | 10.13 Mbps | 10.54 Mbps | |
| Virgin Media | 13 Jan 2022 17:57:21 | 4 | 3 mins | 64.28 Mbps | 29.27 Mbps | Needs help |
| Virgin Media | 13 Jan 2022 17:21:19 | 2 | 12 secs | 39.48 Mbps | 41.54 Mbps |
Summary of Internet Service Providers in Darlington
| # | Provider Name | Max Speed | Typical Speed Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zen Internet | 927.72 Mbps | 87.26—727.76 Mbps |
| 2 | Boundless Networks | 250.86 Mbps | 53.88—216.24 Mbps |
| 3 | Virgin Media | 706.97 Mbps | 46.6—182.03 Mbps |
| 4 | Community Fibre | 125.77 Mbps | 0—57.82 Mbps |
| 5 | CIX | 89.92 Mbps | 77.36—85.32 Mbps |
| 6 | BT | 818.65 Mbps | 30.85—69.52 Mbps |
| 7 | EE | 552.41 Mbps | 16.35—63.1 Mbps |
| 8 | Vodafone | 443.39 Mbps | 29.38—56.7 Mbps |
| 9 | Sky Broadband | 361.94 Mbps | 20.6—54 Mbps |
| 10 | TalkTalk | 148.68 Mbps | 11.77—37.59 Mbps |
| 11 | Shell Energy | 71.48 Mbps | 17.26—32.87 Mbps |
| 12 | Plusnet | 74.01 Mbps | 9.26—36.07 Mbps |
| 13 | O2 Broadband | 25.47 Mbps | 4.06—13.2 Mbps |
Frequently Asked Questions about Internet Providers in Darlington
How many broadband providers in Darlington are there?
Darlington has 13 ISPs tested by its 106,566 residents.
Who is the fastest broadband provider in Darlington?
Zen Internet is the fastest broadband provider in Darlington with 927.72 Mbps, and an average internet speed range of 87.26—727.76 Mbps.
Who is the best internet provider in Darlington?
The best internet provider in Darlington is Zen Internet, and their users typically see broadband speeds in the range of 87.26 to 727.76 Mbps.
What is the average internet speed in Darlington?
Users in Darlington see an average internet speed of 33.06 up to 418 Mbps, and the fastest speed we've seen is 927.72 Mbps.
Is Virgin Media available in Darlington?
Broadband service from Virgin Media is available in Darlington, and the fastest speed we've seen from them is 706.97 Mbps.
Is BT available in Darlington?
Broadband service from BT is available in Darlington, and the fastest speed we've seen from them is 818.65 Mbps.
Is Vodafone available in Darlington?
Broadband service from Vodafone is available in Darlington, and the fastest speed we've seen from them is 443.39 Mbps.
Is BT full fibre available in Darlington?
Yes, BT offers full fibre to the home (also called FTTH or FTTP) to 55 of Darlington's postcodes.
Who is the most popular broadband provider in Darlington?
The broadband provider with the most users in Darlington is Virgin Media.
Author: Thomas Buck
Last Reviewed By: Tyler Cooper
Published: 10 Nov 2019
Last Updated: 14 Jan 2022