Broadband News

Mobile broadband users unhappy with speeds

Thursday, 06 October 2009

Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

More than three quarters of mobile broadband users are unhappy with the speeds they receive, new research has shown.

A further 60 per cent felt that coverage was “poor”. Only three per cent of mobile broadband customers rated their service as “excellent”, while less than a third said that mobile broadband coverage was “adequate”.

The survey, by broadband analysis and advice site Thinkbroadband.com, also looked at where customers used their mobile broadband service. 78 per cent of Virgin Media (www.VirginMedia.com) customers used their mobile broadband at home, followed by 60 per cent of Orange Mobile Broadband (www.Orange.co.uk) users.

T-Mobile Broadband (www.T-Mobile.co.uk) and Vodafone Broadband (www.Vodafone.co.uk) customers were the most mobile, with more than half of customers connecting on the go.

Michael Phillips, Broadbandchoices.co.uk product director, said: “Mobile broadband offers flexible contracts and is a great way to get online for less. However, more needs to be done to ensure that consumers know what to expect when they sign up.

“Recent research has shown that average mobile broadband speeds are barely topping 1Mb, when many consumers think they’re going to get more like 3.6Mb or even 7.2Mb.”

Vodafone recently began upgrading parts of its network to a top, theoretical, speed of 14.4Mb but admitted that customers could “expect to see typical speeds of anything between 1Mb and 4Mb with a practical maximum speed of 10.8Mb”.

Phillips added: “Anyone thinking of signing up to a mobile broadband provider should make sure they do a postcode search first to check coverage in their area - and get in touch with your ISP straight away if you’re not satisfied with the service once you get it home. All mobile broadband providers offer a ‘grace period’ to allow customers to cancel their contract if connection speeds are too slow,” he advised.

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