bassethound
03-02-12, 12:12
New rules to prevent the misleading advertising of broadband speeds by internet service providers 'don't go far enough', a consumers panel has said.
Yesterday, Ofcom reported that UK consumers are achieving 22% faster average broadband speeds at home than 12 months ago.
The average actual UK residential broadband speed was 7.6Mbps in November 2011, up from 6.2Mbps in the same period in 2010. It was also up from 6.8Mbps in May last year.
However, the regulator noted that more than four in ten broadband consumers who remain on 10Mbps packages or less could be able to get a higher speed at little or no additional cost if they switched package or provider.
The Communications Consumer Panel, an independent organisation set up by Ofcom, said that it was "good news" to see average broadband speeds increase, but noted that many consumers are still being sold short.
The panel said it remains "concerned" that people on ADSL-based broadband packages, delivered over BT's copper telephone network, "continue to experience much lower average download speeds than the headline 'up to' advertised speeds".
New guidelines from the UK's advertising regulators come into force in April, which are aimed at tackling the problem of customers being misled by broadband advertising.
They stipulate that any advertised speed claims must be achievable by at least 10% of the internet service provider's customers base.
In its research, Ofcom found that the industry average speed based on the 10% availability criteria would be just 6Mbps for services advertised as 'up to' 8Mpbs, and 14Mbps for services currently advertised as 'up to' 20/24Mbps.
Under the new guidelines, ads for these packages would have to supplement the headline speed claims with information on the 'typical speed range' achievable by half the customers of the ISP.
But the panel believes that the new guidance "doesn't go far enough" towards ensuring consumers have the required information to make an informed choice.
"It requires that speed claims should be achievable by at least 10% of an ISP's customers, and only where a significant proportion of customers are unlikely to receive a speed sufficiently close to that advertised should further qualifying information be included," said Communications Consumer Panel chairman Bob Warner.
"This additional qualifying information must be equally prominent to consumers when they are thinking about which broadband package to buy.
"Consumers can only make an informed choice if they can easily compare different packages and providers. We will be watching carefully to see if the new guidelines are effective."
Yesterday, Ofcom reported that UK consumers are achieving 22% faster average broadband speeds at home than 12 months ago.
The average actual UK residential broadband speed was 7.6Mbps in November 2011, up from 6.2Mbps in the same period in 2010. It was also up from 6.8Mbps in May last year.
However, the regulator noted that more than four in ten broadband consumers who remain on 10Mbps packages or less could be able to get a higher speed at little or no additional cost if they switched package or provider.
The Communications Consumer Panel, an independent organisation set up by Ofcom, said that it was "good news" to see average broadband speeds increase, but noted that many consumers are still being sold short.
The panel said it remains "concerned" that people on ADSL-based broadband packages, delivered over BT's copper telephone network, "continue to experience much lower average download speeds than the headline 'up to' advertised speeds".
New guidelines from the UK's advertising regulators come into force in April, which are aimed at tackling the problem of customers being misled by broadband advertising.
They stipulate that any advertised speed claims must be achievable by at least 10% of the internet service provider's customers base.
In its research, Ofcom found that the industry average speed based on the 10% availability criteria would be just 6Mbps for services advertised as 'up to' 8Mpbs, and 14Mbps for services currently advertised as 'up to' 20/24Mbps.
Under the new guidelines, ads for these packages would have to supplement the headline speed claims with information on the 'typical speed range' achievable by half the customers of the ISP.
But the panel believes that the new guidance "doesn't go far enough" towards ensuring consumers have the required information to make an informed choice.
"It requires that speed claims should be achievable by at least 10% of an ISP's customers, and only where a significant proportion of customers are unlikely to receive a speed sufficiently close to that advertised should further qualifying information be included," said Communications Consumer Panel chairman Bob Warner.
"This additional qualifying information must be equally prominent to consumers when they are thinking about which broadband package to buy.
"Consumers can only make an informed choice if they can easily compare different packages and providers. We will be watching carefully to see if the new guidelines are effective."