Broadband News

Cable still ruling broadband

(14-01-08) - The speed test results for December are in and show that cable still tops ADSL when it comes to speed and reliability.

Although ADSL provider Tesco (www.Tesco.net) managed to hold onto the top spot with customers getting on average 52.4 per cent of their advertised speed, overall, cable still managed to beat ADSL.

Virgin Media (www.VirginMedia.com) - the UK’s major cable broadband provider with more than 3.5 million broadband customers - came in a close second with an average of 49.6 per cent, representing cable’s overall reliability.

ADSL providers on the other hand managed only 40.7 per cent.

Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: “These results are all too familiar, but 2008 could well see ADSL providers catching up to cable as BT (www.BT.com) launches its 21 Century Network, allowing much faster speeds of up to 24Mb.

“However, the higher potential speeds offered by BT’s 21CN, and the higher speeds that will inevitably be advertised are far harder to deliver - as you can see from the current averages for ‘super fast’ broadband providers.”

Virgin Media, which won Gold in BroadbandChoices.co.uk Heavy Weigh Broadband Provider award for 2007, averaged only 34.7 per cent of its advertised top 20Mb - equating to an average of 6.94Mb throughout December.

Be Broadband (www.BeThere.co.uk) 24Mb offering, averaged only 31.9 per cent - though this does work out at 7.66Mb - better than Virgin Media’s more expensive XL Broadband at £37 a month.

And even less impressive was Sky's (www.Sky.com) 16Mb package, which fared worst of all, with an average of only 27.7 per cent, or 4.43Mb.

“Sky took the Gold in our 2007 Broadband Awards for the ‘Cruiser Weight’ category of up to 8Mb packages,” said Mr Phillips, “however, this still worked out at an average of only 3.1Mb.

“ISPs clearly cannot provide anywhere near the top speeds that they advertise, and need to more transparent about this.”

Related article - 2007's fastest ISPs are named.

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