The world looks very different from the way it did just six months ago. Covid-19 has brought about changes to all aspects of life. For many, the shutdowns resulted in a transition to working from home, accelerating an existing trend towards greater flexibility and work-life balance.
Working from home means being able to work from anywhere – a flat in the city, a family home in the suburbs or a second home in a holiday location. Regardless, to successfully work from home reliable and fast broadband is necessary.
Even before the pandemic, the Savills Second Home Survey reported that fast broadband and reliable Wi-Fi within properties was the top priority when looking for a new property. It is often assumed that there is a trade-off between leaving cities and internet connectivity; however, many locations offer both space and broadband speed.
The Federal Communications Commission in the United States classifies broadband as ‘fast’ at speeds greater than 25 mbps, and speeds of 10 mbps or higher are recommended for working from home, streaming videos, or using multiple devices. For those looking for a second home from which they can work, broadband speeds above 10 mbps will be crucial.
Savills Research has ranked the top 50 global prime leisure locations by their average broadband speeds. Half the locations studied had average broadband speeds greater than 25 mbps and a further 15 had broadband speeds greater than 10 mbps.
Leading the table is Napa Valley, in California, with an average broadband speed of 61 mbps. With tech hub San Francisco so close, it’s unsurprising that broadband infrastructure would be robust. Second ranked Monaco has average speeds of 44mbps and is the only location outside of the United States to make the top 5. Jackson Hole, Aspen, and Malibu round out the top five with average speeds of 39-40 mbps.
Barbados has the fastest broadband speeds in the Caribbean. Good news for those looking to take advantage of the recently announced Barbados Welcome Stamp.
The destinations can be split into three broad categories: resort and coastal, traditional countryside and ski. Ski locations performed remarkably well; all 14 locations analysed had average speeds of 25 mbps or higher. Before the pandemic, ski locations had been shifting from seasonal to much more year-round locations, making amenities in these areas, internet included, very robust and able to sustain residents beyond the ski seasons.
One of the most discussed leisure locations in light of the pandemic are traditional countryside locations where space and nature are abundant, particularly in contrast to city locations. However, the perception of connectivity in the country belies the reality. All eight locations analysed had average broadband speeds of 10 mbps or greater and five locations had average speeds of greater than 20 mbps. These speeds should provide confidence to urban professionals who wish to give up their daily commutes in exchange for working from home in a more rural location.
Within the resort and coastal destinations, 18 have average broadband speeds of 10 mbps or greater meaning that sand, sun, and (internet) surfing would be easy in these locations. However, there are also 10 locations in this category that have an average speed of less than 10 mbps. It is possible for fibre broadband to be installed or for residents to purchase satellite internet or mobile broadband service which would have faster speeds, though these options do come at a cost.
As restrictions continue to ease, it is likely that workers will want to maintain a degree of the flexibility that they gained during the pandemic. Working remotely, for some, is here to stay, enabling professionals to choose to work from leisure locations around the world, particularly those with sound broadband connections.
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