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Super fast broadband only as common as dial-up
(07-04-08) - Broadband connections over 8Mb are only as common as the old dial-up speeds of less than 128Kb - both being used by only three per cent of broadband subscribers, according to new research.
The Truth about UK Broadband Speed and Behaviour report from internet research company Neilsen, showed that more than 50 per cent of UK broadband users are connected at a speed of between 512Kb and 2Mb.
A third of users are connected at a speed of between 2Mb and 8Mb, with only three per cent of users opting for a super-fast broadband connection of more than 8Mb.
Alex Burmaster, internet analyst at Nielsen Online, said: “‘Super fast’ broadband is aggressively advertised by the ISPs, some even referring to it now as ‘standard’, but it is an unrealistic pipe dream for the vast majority of Britons online.
“Aside from how much you’re willing to pay, your maximum speed is really dependent on the distance you are from the local phone exchange and the quality of its technology,” he explained.
People with high speed connections were also found to spend more time online, with those connected at more than 8Mb spending 22 per cent more time online than those with the slowest connections of less than 128Kb.
“The idea that having a faster connection speed means you spend less time online, because everything loads more quickly, is a myth,” said Burmaster. “Having a faster speed is like driving a Ferrari compared to an old banger - you want to spend more time using it and going to more places in it.
“Having a faster connection speed means you can do so much more things online, download movies and play higher-quality games, for example. Even the mundane tasks become more attractive as it’s so much quicker and easier to get more of them done,” he added.
Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said that with the rollout of BT's (www.BT.com) 21 Century Network this year, speeds of up to 24Mb will become commonplace, and prices will drop.
“At the moment, most people aren’t sure what they would do with a super fast broadband connection,” he said, “but as high speed packages drop in price and more people sign up - and as free download services such as the BBC iPlayer become more popular - people will realise that there’s so many more things they can do online outside of checking emails and the weather.”
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