Broadband providers are still not up to speed, says Ofcom

Broadband providers are still failing to provide customers with the connection speed they are paying for, the industry watchdog announced today.

A huge 97% of consumers do not get the headline speed advertised by their provider, according to a report by Ofcom. And although the  the average broadband speed UK customers receive has increased in the last year, there is a growing gap between the speed advertised by internet service providers (ISPs) and the actual speed delivered.

In April 2009 the average speed customers received was 4.1 megabits per second (Mbit/s), which was 58% of the speed advertised by the provider (7.1Mbit/s). In May 2010 however the average actual speed had increased to 5.2 Mbit/s, but was down to just 45% of the advertised speed (11.5 Mbit/s).

Broadband providers often fail to make clear to consumers that the headline speed they advertise is the ‘maximum speed’ they can get, not the ‘actual speed’ they will get.

Most customers will only receive a speed ‘up to’ the speed advertised. This is because your broadband speed is affected by a range of factors, including how far you live from the local telephone exchange, how much you download and when you use the internet.

Ofcom is now calling for changes to be made regarding how broadband is sold to give customers a more accurate estimate of the maximum speed they are likely to receive on.

For tips on how to improve your broadband speed you can read our guide 'Ten ways to speed up your broadband' or look on the Ofcom website.