Upload speed test: what a good upload looks like in the UK
Pulse measures upload speed. Press start on the speed test and you get download, upload, ping and jitter together, in about 20 seconds. Upload is the half of your line that video calls, cloud backups, sending photos and live streaming depend on, and it is often five to twenty times slower than download on older copper lines. Full fibre usually gives 50 Mbps or more up; some providers sell the same speed up as down.
What upload speed do you need?
| What you are doing | Upload needed | Where the figure comes from |
|---|---|---|
| One 1080p video call (Zoom) | About 3.8 Mbps per camera | Zoom's published bandwidth requirements: 3.8 Mbps up, 3.0 Mbps down for 1080p |
| One 720p video call (Zoom) | 1.2 to 2.6 Mbps | Zoom: 1.2 Mbps for a 1:1 call, 2.6 Mbps up for a group call |
| Three people on calls at once | 10 Mbps or more, with low jitter | Pulse rule of thumb: three cameras plus headroom |
| Backing up a phone's photos overnight | Any speed works, time is what changes | 50 GB at 10 Mbps takes about 11 hours; at 100 Mbps about an hour |
| Live streaming in 1080p | 6 to 10 Mbps, steady | Typical platform guidance for 1080p at 30 to 60 frames per second |
| Working from home with cloud files | 10 Mbps comfortable, 30 Mbps or more if you move big files | Pulse rule of thumb |
| UK legal minimum | 1 Mbps | Broadband universal service obligation: 10 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up |
Why upload is usually the slow half
Most UK homes still on copper or part-fibre lines (FTTC) have asymmetric packages: a typical part-fibre package advertised at around 65 Mbps down gives roughly 18 to 20 Mbps up, and some older packages give under 10 Mbps up. Cable lines are similar. Full fibre to the premises changes the picture: 100 Mbps up is common, and several providers sell symmetric packages where upload equals download. If your download result looks fine but calls freeze whenever someone else sends photos, upload is the likely culprit.
How Pulse measures upload
After the download phase, Pulse opens three to five parallel streams and posts 8 MB blocks of data to Cloudflare's UK edge for three seconds (Quick), six seconds (Standard) or ten seconds (Thorough). It counts the bytes as the browser sends them, ignores the first quarter of the run while the connection ramps up, and reports a trimmed mean of the rest. In Standard and Thorough modes it also measures your ping while the upload runs; a big rise is what makes calls stutter when a backup starts. The full method is on the methodology page.
How to test upload fairly
Pause anything that uploads. Phone photo backups, cloud drive sync, security cameras and game consoles all send data in the background.
Use a cable if you can. Wi-Fi often limits upload more than download, especially on older routers.
Run Standard or Thorough mode. The longer upload phase gives a steadier number than Quick.
Repeat in the evening. Upload on shared lines can dip between 8pm and 10pm.
Compare with your package. Providers advertise an upload figure as well as download; it is on your contract or the provider's app.
If upload is too low
A low upload on a cable test is a property of your package or line type, not something a reboot fixes. Options, in order: ask your provider whether a higher upload tier exists on your line; check whether full fibre has reached your address; and if it has, compare what it costs. Full fibre entry packages often match the monthly price of an older copper line while giving many times the upload.
Live deals from 30+ UK providers, lowest monthly price first, with upload speeds shown.
Compare deals at my postcodeRelated guides
- Does UKSpeedTest measure upload speed?
- Broadband speed for Zoom, Teams and video calls
- Upload speed and video calls: what to expect
- Symmetric versus asymmetric broadband for home working
- Latency test: ping, jitter and bufferbloat
- Run the Pulse speed test
FAQ
Does Pulse measure upload speed?
Yes. Since October 2026 every Pulse test measures upload as well as download, ping and jitter.
Why is my upload so much lower than my download?
Most copper, part-fibre and cable packages in the UK are asymmetric by design. Full fibre packages usually give far more upload, and some give the same speed in both directions.
What upload speed do I need for video calls?
Zoom publishes 3.8 Mbps upload for a 1080p call and 1.2 to 2.6 Mbps for 720p. Allow that per camera in the house, plus headroom, and keep ping steady.
Why does my upload result look high for the first second?
Browsers report bytes as they hand them to the network, so the first moments can look faster than the line. Pulse ignores the first quarter of the run for that reason.
References
- Zoom. (n.d.). Zoom system requirements: Windows, macOS, Linux (bandwidth requirements). support.zoom.com
- Ofcom. (2023, August 8; updated 2026). Your right to request a decent broadband service: what you need to know. ofcom.org.uk
- UKSpeedTest.co.uk. (2026). How Pulse measures your speed. ukspeedtest.co.uk/methodology.html