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How fast does home broadband need to be?

What decides the speed you need, and how to check what you get.

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Short answer

The speed you need depends on how you use the internet: Telekområdgivarna says light use needs a lower speed, while streaming, gaming and many connected devices need more. PTS reports that very few households have a fixed subscription below 100 Mbit/s.

Telecom and internet providers in Stockholm Illustration of a smartphone with signal bars, a SIM card and a Wi-Fi symbol

Why

  1. According to Telekområdgivarna, a lower speed is enough for simpler use, while streaming, gaming and multiple connected devices require higher speeds.
  2. Telekområdgivarna says speed is affected by the placement of the router, the thickness and material of walls, and how many people are online at the same time at home.
  3. According to PTS, there are no rules on the minimum speed a connection must have to be called broadband, and in 2025 only a very small share of households had a subscription slower than 100 Mbit/s.

Details

Look for a clear explanation of minimum, normal and maximum speed in the contract, since Telekområdgivarna says normal speed is what you can expect most of the time. Bredbandskollen says a good test result is around 80–85 percent of the maximum speed in your plan, and that a network cable often gives higher speed than an older Wi-Fi version. For providers in the city, see the directory of telecom and internet providers in Stockholm, and for the monthly bill in context read whether it is expensive to live in Sweden.

Tip

Before you change plan, test your speed with Bredbandskollen on three occasions at different times of the day, spread over weekdays and weekends, as Telekområdgivarna advises.

What may differ

A household with several people streaming or gaming at the same time needs more than one person who mostly browses and reads email. The speed you actually get over Wi-Fi also depends on how modern your router is and where it stands.

Common misconception

The speed on your plan is the speed you get on every device over Wi-Fi.

What actually happens

Telekområdgivarna lists router placement, wall material and the number of people online as factors that affect speed, and Bredbandskollen advises a modern router placed centrally in the home.

People also ask

  • What internet speed do I need at home?
  • How fast does the internet need to be for gaming?

Sources

Information checked on 28 October 2026.

Telecom and internet providers in Stockholm
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