Broadband Speeds in the UK
How Much Speed Are You Really Getting
Most broadband providers now sell packages offering speeds “up to xMb”. It seems that many customers are getting nowhere near the maximum advertised speeds that they signed up for.
The speed of a broadband connection can be a very subjective thing. People judge their “broadband speed” differently based on what they do on-line and how the experience maps to their own expectations.For example someone who is a heavy downloader of music or movie files might judge their overall broadband speed in terms of the time it takes to download a particular file. Someone else may judge the speed of their broadband connection in terms of the “quickness” (or lack) of browsing from one page to another using their Internet browser.
Subjective issues aside, the speed of you broadband connection boils down to one thing:-
Is the service that you are getting meeting your expectations?
For many people in the UK, the answer to this question is a resounding “No”. Broadband providers may take the view that many customers just have unrealistic expectations and there may be some truth in that view. However, it seems to be increasingly the case that broadband providers are simply not providing what they are advertising.
Advertised Speeds
The UK Advertising Standards Agency has taken many broadband providers to task about their claims offering “fast broadband” or “xMb Broadband” on the basis that in many cases the service delivered simply didn’t match up to the claims of the broadband provider. Broadband providers took the criticism, payed the fines and got on with business.
So, what has changed? The answer is really not that much. Now, broadband providers advertise packages that run “up to xMb” and put lots of small print in the service terms about how speeds and service can vary based on various seemingly woolly technical reasons such as your distance from the exchange, interference etc.
Actual Speeds
During the month of July 2007, users of my site (broadband-help.com) performed thousands of speed tests on their own broadband using the broadband speed test tool. Results have consistently shown that very few people are actually getting anywhere near their advertised speed.
- For week ending 5 August 2007, the average download speed across all providers is just less than 4Mb. The interesting thing here is that most people are now subscribing to at least an “up to 8Mb” package.
- Several providers consistently provide less than the average speed from week to week.
It’s Not All Bad News Though
Whilst many providers consistently fail to come anywhere near their own advertised “Up to” rates, some are getting pretty close.
- Be Broadband consistently outperform other broadband providers for download speeds.
- Some Virgin Media cable connections can approach 20Mb speeds.
Conclusion
Broadband speed is a very subjective thing. It is the case, however, that most people are simply not getting anywhere near the advertised speed from their broadband service provider.
Whether or not it is a problem that you are not getting what you expect from your broadband depends on your expectation from the service that you signed up for.
What Now?
- Take a broadband speed test.
- View speed test results from last week.
- See if you can switch broadband provider for possibly faster broadband and save money.
Broadband
Broadband speed test
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