27 July 2010 | Author: J. Morton Search Copywriter

British internet providers misrepresenting broadband speeds to customers

Ofcom research suggests that 97 per cent of internet subscribers do not achieve the broadband speeds originally promised by providers.

When choosing a broadband provider, internet-savvy Britons may check for features such as maximum download and connection speeds, as well as if there might be a monthly cap for use, in addition to the price of the service.

However, new research from Ofcom, the government regulatory department for broadband services, amongst others, suggests that only 3 per cent of internet subscribers in the UK achieve the speeds promised by providers.

Ed Richards, chief executive of Ofcom, explained that there was a "growing gap" in what speeds broadband providers promise and what actually gets delivered, despite a rise in connection speeds across the board.

"The gap between the average headline speed and actual speed has increased in this period even though the actual speed has risen," he said.

Richards explained that though the average broadband connection speed was 4.1 Mbps in 2009, the promises of services averaged out at 7.1 Mbps. In 2010, the average connection increased to 5.2 Mbps; however, the advertised claims for speed have jumped to 11.5 Mbps.

Currently, broadband is advertised as being "up to" a certain speed, but this can be misleading, and needs clarification, the regulatory council said, as for speeds advertised at 20 Mbps, around 65 per cent of users will actually achieve speeds of 8 Mbps or less.

According to the BBC, Ofcom has been pushing ISPs for a new code of practice, in an effort for customers to have more information about their actual connection speeds.

That said, Richards acknowledged that broadband was a tricky product to determine.

"There are challenges of wiring, line length and interference and so on," he said. "It's not as simple as taking an absolute standard product. It's a complicated product, more complicated than anyone imagined."

Therefore, Ofcom will concentrate on educating consumers in the future.