British broadband customers subscribe high-speed connections but they get low-speed service instead. The media and telecoms watchdog, Ofcom, examined the most popular broadband product advertised as offering speeds of “up to” 8 megabits per second and used by 57% of homes. Its report says, on average, users are getting speeds of just 3.9Mb. That means a DVD-quality film would take more than two hours to download – longer than it takes to watch it – compared to just over an hour at the faster speed.
The Communications Consumer Panel has been pushing for advertising using claims of up-to speeds to be scrapped in favour of average speed, but has been frustrated by the lack of reliable data. Its chair, Anna Bradley, believes the new Ofcom research could provide a fresh benchmark that will give consumers a much better idea of what they can expect before they sign on the dotted line. But Ofcom’s Peter Phillips, said ISPs “are not lying to consumers. If you are very close to the exchange you can get those speeds.”
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