ISPs misleading customers on broadband speeds - Ofcom
British consumers are benefitting from faster broadband, but the gap between advertised and actual speeds is increasing, regulator Ofcom has warned.
The average UK broadband speed increased by ten per cent between November 2010 and May from 6.2 Mbps to 6.8 Mbps.
However, in its biannual report on the broadband market, Ofcom also showed that the average advertised speed was 15 Mbps in May, 8.2 Mbps higher than the average actual rate.
This was compared to a gap of 7.6 Mbps in November/December 2010.
Almost half of residential broadband users (47 per cent) paid for packages with advertised speeds above ten Mbps in May, compared with 42 per cent in November/December 2010 and just eight per cent in April 2009, the report continued.
Price comparison website Broadbandchoices.co.uk said the widening difference between advertised and actual speeds needs to be urgently addressed, suggesting similar regulatory measures could be implemented to those that exist in the credit market.
"The way that broadband speeds are advertised still needs a lot more work in light of Ofcom's findings that the gap between advertised and actual speeds has increased, again," it stated. "We have been pushing for 'typical speeds' to be made the gold standard for speed advertising since 2007 - in the same way that banks use 'typical APR' percentages."
Ernest Doku, technology expert at uSwitch.com, said the issue had been going on for "too long".
"While it's great to see British broadband get steadily faster, the key issue is still that customers are signing up to one service and receiving another. It's like signing up to a Porsche and ending up with a Robin Reliant," he added.
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