Ask Our Expert

What speed will I get from my 20Mb broadband connection?

Our Broadband Expert says...

Almost all of the UK’s big broadband providers, from BT (www.BT.com) to TalkTalk (www.Talktalk.co.uk) and Sky broadband (www.Sky.com) now offer speeds of up to 20Mb or 24Mb broadband across their packages.

Most providers increased their speed throughout 2009 and 2010 - but what does this mean for you?

Advertised speeds vs actual speeds

Average broadband speeds have increased across the UK, but so has the gap between advertised and actual download speeds.

While advertised speeds might be as high as 20Mb or 24Mb, average download speeds across the UK only stood at 5.2Mb in July 2010, according to Ofcom.

Research by the regulator found that although speeds were 25% faster than the previous year, the gap between what people thought they would get and what they were actually receiving was bigger than ever.

Broadband providers that use traditional copper telephone wires - as opposed to cable or fibre optic connections - to get you online only managed to deliver 33% of their advertised speeds, revealed Ofcom.

On these packages, absolutely no customers were able to receive even 18Mb and only 2% were able to get a speed of more than 14Mb, added the regulator.

Virgin Media

The situation is a little different if you're a Virgin Media (www.Virginmedia.com) cable broadband customer. Using its cable network, the provider fared much better in the Ofcom research, with customers enjoying an average of 15.7Mb on its XL 20Mb broadband package - more than double the 6.5Mb averaged by its copper wire competitors at the time.

According to Virgin Media, customers on this 20Mb package averaged a very impressive 18.8Mb in December 2010. It also offers a 50Mb broadband package, which Virgin Media says achieved 49.3Mb in December - though Ofcom’s July 2010 research put this between 33.4Mb and 47.4Mb depending on network congestion.

The superfast broadband provider also launched an eye-wateringly fast 100Mb broadband package at the end of the year, with roll-out set to be complete by mid-2012.

However, Virgin Media’s cable network only covers around 51% of UK homes, so if you don’t live in a cable area, you'll have to opt for a copper wire broadband package instead.

What speed will I get?

The speed you receive will first depend on the kind of broadband provider you choose; whether you go for Virgin Media’s cable broadband, or a traditional copper wire package.

If you can’t get cable, or want to go for a cheaper package from a copper wire supplier, then the main things that will affect your speed will be your distance from the local telephone exchange and the quality of the copper wires used to connect you to the internet.

The further you live from the local exchange, the slower your internet will be, going down to around 5km, which is about as far as a standard copper wire broadband connection can go.

Your new provider will be able to give you a speed estimate based on your distance from the exchange before you sign-up, so be sure to ask about this before committing to a long contract.

Fibre optic broadband

The new generation of superfast broadband packages, offering speeds of up to 40Mb broadband, 50Mb and even 100Mb connections, use fibre optic cables to get you online.

These cables - used by BT’s new BT Infinity network and Virgin Media’s cable network - allow more data to travel at faster speeds and over further distances, giving you a speedy downloads and a far better online experience.

NB Best buy tables (orange background) are always current.

Examples in the text of the article (white background) are correct at time of publication.

Ask us a question

If you have a general switching or provider query please get in touch with us here

Compare broadband deals

Save up to £363* when you include TV and calls with your broadband

CLOSE [X]

*Enter your postcode to find the best broadband deals in your area. We value your privacy, please see our privacy policy.

Why we need your postcode