Broadband in Ards and North Down

Take the slow end first, because there barely is one. 0.2% of postcodes sit below 10 Mbps, which across 4,021 postcodes amounts to a scattering of locations rather than a recognisable problem. Superfast coverage of 99.2% comfortably clears the national norm of about 97 per cent.

Gigabit tells the forward-looking half of the story. 94.4% of postcodes are passed by gigabit-capable networks, taking in districts such as BT16, BT18, BT19, BT21, BT22 and BT23. In practice that means the borough's broadband market is already competing on price and service rather than raw availability. Households upgrading from an older deal will usually find faster tiers on offer at the same address, and for most the ceiling is a full 1,000 Mbps package. Broadband here is a solved problem for nearly everyone.

The speed mix leans towards abundance. When 94.4% of postcodes can take gigabit service, the practical differences between locations shrink to almost nothing, and broadband stops being a factor in choosing where to live within the borough. The remaining 0.2% below 10 Mbps is the only caveat, and it is a small one. For most households the real decision is how much speed to pay for.