Analyst Point Topic’s latest broadband speed survey showed that although 64 per cent of respondents knew their advertised broadband speed, only 56 per cent were able to identify the speed they were actually getting - which is often far off that promised by their ISP.
The most popular packages remain the up to 8Mb packages, which 50 per cent of people subscribe to, and those offering speeds of up to 2Mb, which 22 per cent of people used. However, only 15 per cent of 8Mb subscribers actually said they received this speed.
Only eight per cent of respondents said they had subscribed to a package offering more than 8Mb, and Point Topic pointed out that “as the speed described by the ISP rises, the likelihood of achieving up to this speed, or in excess of this speed, falls”. It added though that this is only true “until one reaches speeds in excess of 16Mbps, at which point the proportion of people achieving their advertised speed or higher begins to rise again”.
Only a quarter of people were satisfied with their broadband speed, and 60 per cent said that they would like a faster connection.
Virgin Media (www.VirginMedia.com) had the highest number of satisfied customers, despite having “the lowest difference between the proportion of its customers who were described speeds in excess of 2Mbps and the proportion actually getting it”, said Point Topic.
Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: “It’s important for customers to be able to check the actual speed they’re getting. Customers can install our free Speed Tester to see how your ISP is performing.
“Although it’s almost impossible to get the advertised speed due to distance from the exchange and contention ratios, there are things that people can do to improve their speed.
“Simply calling your current provider and asking them if there’s anything they can do to improve your speed is a good place to start, while using an ethernet cable, increasing the length of your wireless aerial or adjusting your browser settings can all boost your speed. However, if you’re still not satisfied, it might be time to consider switching to a new provider,” he advised.
Download the BroadbandChoices.co.uk speed tester to see if your provider is up to speed.
contact us 
