bassethound
28-07-11, 10:37
Average broadband speeds in the UK have increased by 10% over the past six months, but consumers are still being sold short on the rates advertised by providers, Ofcom has reported.
According to research by the media regulator, the average UK broadband speed increased from 6.2Mbps in November/December 2010 to 6.8Mbps this May.
Almost half (47%) of UK residential broadband users are now on packages with advertised speeds above 10Mbps, up from 42% last year and just 8% in April 2009.
However, the gap between actual speeds and advertised, or "up to" speeds, has also increased. Ofcom found that the average advertised broadband speed was 15Mbps in May, while the average actual speed being received by users was just 6.8Mbps, a disparity of 8.2Mbps.
Performance was again found to differ between internet service providers and the technology used to deliver services to homes. The average download speed on Virgin Media's 30Mbps fibre optic broadband package actually outperformed its advertised rate, delivering an average speed of 31Mbps. The firm's 50Mbps service offered average speeds of 48Mbps.
BT's Infinity service - also delivered over fibre networks - has a headline speed of 40Mbps and achieved average actual speeds of 34Mbps.
In contrast, broadband services delivered over copper ADSL networks - accounting for more than 75% of UK residential broadband connections - were found to offer a much poorer average performance.
The research found that the average download speed received on ADSL 'up to' 20/24Mbps services was 6.6Mbps. Ofcom said that 37% of consumers on these packages received average speeds of just 4Mbps or less.
The Advertising Standards Authority is currently investigating the issue of broadband advertising via "up to" rates, and is widely expected to introduce new rules soon.
Virgin Media, which today reported a 3.9% growth in its half-year revenue, has called on other ISPs to "stop the broadband con" with their advertising. However, an online campaign launched by the cable operator was rapped by the ASA last month for making various "misleading" claims about rival providers.
Reacting to today's broadband speeds report, Virgin Media's Jon James said: "The gulf between what's advertised and what speeds customers get continues to grow. Whilst Virgin Media delivers more than 90% of the speeds we advertise, ISPs promising speeds of 'up to' 20Mbps or 24Mbps are delivering an average of just 6.6Mbps.
"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 to bring about a rapid change in the way broadband services are being advertised."
TalkTalk, which was found to deliver around 7.7Mbps to 8.6Mbps on its advertised 'up to' 24Mbps service, recently launched an online speed checker showing the maximum speeds available.
Dido Harding, the TalkTalk Group chief executive, said in a blog post that other factors can often be involved in the poor performance of broadband connections.
"In the majority of cases where a customer is unhappy with the speed they're receiving there's a problem with the in-home set up," she said.
"When that's the case we certainly don't wash our hands of it, it's our job to make sure the customer has all the information and the means to maximise their speed and, if they can't achieve this on their own, we don't throw in the towel.
"Between October 2010 and June this year we delivered over 100,000 engineer visits to the home to fix faults. We work on a 'no win, no fee' basis at a heavily discounted rate. This means that where the fault is in the customer's home we charge £50 while if we find the fault is in the network then we fix it at no charge."
According to research by the media regulator, the average UK broadband speed increased from 6.2Mbps in November/December 2010 to 6.8Mbps this May.
Almost half (47%) of UK residential broadband users are now on packages with advertised speeds above 10Mbps, up from 42% last year and just 8% in April 2009.
However, the gap between actual speeds and advertised, or "up to" speeds, has also increased. Ofcom found that the average advertised broadband speed was 15Mbps in May, while the average actual speed being received by users was just 6.8Mbps, a disparity of 8.2Mbps.
Performance was again found to differ between internet service providers and the technology used to deliver services to homes. The average download speed on Virgin Media's 30Mbps fibre optic broadband package actually outperformed its advertised rate, delivering an average speed of 31Mbps. The firm's 50Mbps service offered average speeds of 48Mbps.
BT's Infinity service - also delivered over fibre networks - has a headline speed of 40Mbps and achieved average actual speeds of 34Mbps.
In contrast, broadband services delivered over copper ADSL networks - accounting for more than 75% of UK residential broadband connections - were found to offer a much poorer average performance.
The research found that the average download speed received on ADSL 'up to' 20/24Mbps services was 6.6Mbps. Ofcom said that 37% of consumers on these packages received average speeds of just 4Mbps or less.
The Advertising Standards Authority is currently investigating the issue of broadband advertising via "up to" rates, and is widely expected to introduce new rules soon.
Virgin Media, which today reported a 3.9% growth in its half-year revenue, has called on other ISPs to "stop the broadband con" with their advertising. However, an online campaign launched by the cable operator was rapped by the ASA last month for making various "misleading" claims about rival providers.
Reacting to today's broadband speeds report, Virgin Media's Jon James said: "The gulf between what's advertised and what speeds customers get continues to grow. Whilst Virgin Media delivers more than 90% of the speeds we advertise, ISPs promising speeds of 'up to' 20Mbps or 24Mbps are delivering an average of just 6.6Mbps.
"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 to bring about a rapid change in the way broadband services are being advertised."
TalkTalk, which was found to deliver around 7.7Mbps to 8.6Mbps on its advertised 'up to' 24Mbps service, recently launched an online speed checker showing the maximum speeds available.
Dido Harding, the TalkTalk Group chief executive, said in a blog post that other factors can often be involved in the poor performance of broadband connections.
"In the majority of cases where a customer is unhappy with the speed they're receiving there's a problem with the in-home set up," she said.
"When that's the case we certainly don't wash our hands of it, it's our job to make sure the customer has all the information and the means to maximise their speed and, if they can't achieve this on their own, we don't throw in the towel.
"Between October 2010 and June this year we delivered over 100,000 engineer visits to the home to fix faults. We work on a 'no win, no fee' basis at a heavily discounted rate. This means that where the fault is in the customer's home we charge £50 while if we find the fault is in the network then we fix it at no charge."