Communications and Technology Industry Research

Broadband comparison service BroadbandChoices.co.uk and consumer advocacy organization Which? both recently issued reports finding that a very large gap exists between publicized broadband speeds and speed of service actually delivered to most users. Some customers who buy 8Mb packages get bandwidth of as little as 0.09Mb.

 

Broadbandchoices.co.uk conducted 100,000 speed tests and found that, on average, customers receive 39 percent of the speed promised them.

 

“Because providers advertise these packages as ‘up to 8Mb’ they seem to be able to get away with providing much lower speeds as standard,” said Michael Phillips, product director at BroadbandChoices.co.uk, in a statement. “Customers would be better off saving themselves some money and going for a 2Mb or 4Mb package where they could actually get the speeds they're paying for.”

 

What accounts for the slow speeds? Factors such as distance from the exchange and poor quality wiring can degrade broadband connections, but many people are unaware of this and go for the top packages thinking they will get broadband at 8Mb.

 

“Boadband providers can check this information to see the realistic speed each individual customer should receive,” Phillips added. “We need transparency from providers on the kind of speeds customers can actually expect to get, rather than flashy advertising and ever increasing ‘top speeds’.”

 

Which?, meanwhile, conducted its own intensive study of broadband speeds during a two week period. The organization found that the average speed offered to customers on 8Mb packages was only 2.7Mb. Which? performed speed tests on broadband connections of more than 300 customers used 27 different broadband providers.

 

Malcom Coles, Which? editor, criticized the providers for misleading consumers about broadband speeds.

 

“It’s shocking that internet service providers can advertise ever-increasing speeds that seem to bear little resemblance to what most people can achieve in reality,” Coles said in a statement.

 

The list of broadband services that BroadbandChoices.co.uk and Which? tested included those from Tesco, AOL (News - Alert), Virgin Media, Tiscali, Sky, Pipex, Wanadoo, Madasafish, Talk Talk, Eclipse Internet, BT, Karoo.co.uk, Demon and Plus Net.