Broadband News

Ofcom: broadband speed gap continues to widen

Wednesday 27 July, 2011

By Garnet Roach - Garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Broadband speeds improve but gap between actual and advertised speed widens, says Ofcom.

The UK’s average broadband speed has grown to 6.8Mb, according to the telecoms regulator, but the gap between what is advertised and the speed people actually receive has continued to grow.

Almost half of consumers are now signed up to a package offering speeds of up to 10Mb or more, up from just 8% two years ago, said Ofcom.

And with 75% of broadband customers using a copper wire ADSL connection - where your internet runs through the phone line - the vast majority of consumers are on an up to 20Mb or 24Mb package.

However, the average download speed on these packages was just 6.6Mb, while some 37% of users failed to pass the 4Mb mark.

But for yet another year, Virgin Media’s cable network topped the speed charts. Its new 30Mb package, which has been replacing the 20Mb deal for new customers and those wanting to upgrade, delivered an average of 31Mb.

Jon James, executive director of broadband for Virgin Media, said: “The gulf between what’s advertised and what speeds customers get continues to grow.

“While Virgin Media delivers more than 90% of the speeds we advertise, ISPs [internet service providers] promising speeds of ‘up to’ 20Mb or 24Mb are delivering an average of just 6.6Mb.”

BT’s up to 40Mb Infinity service also performed well, averaging 34Mb as well as the UK’s fastest upload speeds at almost 9Mb, the Ofcom research revealed.

James added: “We remain concerned that people paying for fast broadband are still being misled and believe it is absolutely essential that consumers have all the information they need to make an informed choice. We once again urge the ASA [Advertising Standards Authority] to bring about a rapid change in the way broadband services are being advertised.”

Ofcom backed up calls to change the way that broadband packages are advertised. While Ed Richards, Ofcom’s chief executive, welcomed the improvement in broadband speeds, he said: “However, the research is still telling us that some consumers are not receiving anywhere near the speeds that are being advertised by some ISPs.”

Ofcom wants a “typical speed range” to be published alongside any “up to” broadband speeds. The ASA is expected to announce any advertising changes early this autumn.