Broadband in Basildon

Superfast first: 98.7% of postcodes have it, above the national norm of around 97 per cent, and just 0.5% of postcodes fall below 10 Mbps. Between those two figures sits a market where almost nobody is left on a genuinely poor connection.

The gigabit story is nearly as strong. 89% of postcodes can order a gigabit-capable service, leaving 11% where the top tier has not arrived. Across 13 outward codes, from SS7 and SS16 to CM11 and CM12, that translates into fast options at the overwhelming majority of addresses. For most households the practical difference between the 89% and the 98.7% is small, because an address outside the gigabit footprint still very likely has a superfast option to fall back on. The area's broadband problem, such as it is, affects the 0.5% at the bottom and few others.

Speed is unlikely to be the deciding factor when choosing between Basildon addresses. With 89% gigabit-capable coverage, large or busy households will find suitable packages in most postcodes. The 0.5% below 10 Mbps is small enough to treat as an outlier, though an unlucky one for those within it. House hunters can afford to prioritise other factors and treat broadband as a quick final confirmation rather than a deal-breaker.