The Leading News & Information Service For The Facilities, Workplace & Built Environment Community

Broadband Speeds 51% Slower Than Advertised

Broadband Rip-off
18 May 2018
 

Homeworkers are paying for broadband services that are on average 51% slower than advertised, according to new Which? analysis.

Results generated from 235,000 uses of the Which? broadband speed checker tool show that, on average, customers are paying for speeds of up to 38 megabits per second but actually only receiving half that (19Mbps).

The research, conducted by the consumer champion ahead of new Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) guidelines coming into effect, reveals widespread differences between the speeds advertised and those delivered.

The results show that the faster the advertised speed, the further away it was from the actual speed recorded in tests. For example, consumers paying for a package of up to 200Mbps were on average only able to get average speeds of 52Mbps or only 26 per cent of the speed promised.

The closest actual average speed to that reportedly advertised for 'up to 50Mbps' where users received just under a third of that – an average 35 Mbps.

 

Not up to

The new rules will mean that broadband providers can no longer advertise 'up to' speeds which are available to just 10% of customers. The ASA will require that providers include a median average speed for the service available to at least 50 per cent of households at peak time.

Alex Neill, Which? MD of Home Services, said: “This change in the rules is good news for customers who have been continuously been let down by unrealistic adverts and broadband speeds that won’t ever live up to expectations.

“We know that speed and reliability of service really matter to customers and we will be keeping a close eye on providers to make sure they follow these new rules and finally deliver the service that people pay for.”

 

The survey and more

Which? conducted analysis of 235,000 uses of the Which? Broadband speed checker tool from 1st May 2017 to 30th April 2018, excluding mobile and exclusively business providers. Expected speeds are self-reported by users of the speed checker tool and do not necessarily represent an advertised speed, or figure obtained from an ISP.

Low satisfaction among consumers was reported earlier in the year in Which?’s annual broadband survey, which revealed that one in five broadband customers had experienced very slow speeds, with some losing their connection altogether to with some (8%) losing their connection for days or weeks at a time.

Separately, data from the Which?’s Consumer Insight Tracker shows that trust in the sector is also low, with a quarter (23%) of people not trusting broadband providers.

Ofcom’s findings on the subject found that despite superfast broadband being available to 95% of the country, around two in five connections are still delivered using traditional ADSL. The regulator also found as many as one in five broadband customers could be missing out on upgrading to a faster service for the same price they are already paying or less.

Picture: The great broadband rip-off - advertisers will have to be more truthful about broadband speeds.

Article written by Cathryn Ellis | Published 18 May 2018

Share



Related Articles

No Fooling - Broadband & Telephone Fault Compensation Agreed

No it's not an April Fool's day prank on those that work at home or SMEs - broadband and landline customers will get money back from Monday April 1 when things go...

 Read Full Article
To Have And To Have Not - Connectivity Not Always A Given

BT may have decided that all its offices need to have super-fast connectivity but that is not a luxury all London landlords can offer, writes Nick Dutfield. Arguably...

 Read Full Article
5G On The Way

The cost of rolling out fibre broadband is to be slashed and remote rural areas prioritised for funding, while the full fibre switchover and the end of copper will see...

 Read Full Article
Extending The Reach of OpenReach

Openreach has stepped up its Gfast broadband programme with 59 new locations added. This builds upon the existing 46 locations around Britain where the technology is...

 Read Full Article
Rates Exemption To Encourage Broadband Rollout

Exempting new broadband fibre from business rates will give businesses across England better broadband according to Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local...

 Read Full Article
Getting Gfast To Bristol

Bristol will be one of the first cities to benefit from proposals by Openreach for a major acceleration of its ultrafast fibre broadband network assisted by Gfast...

 Read Full Article
UK Government Introduces Day-One Right to Request Flexible Working

Millions of employees across the country are set to benefit from new legislation that means flexible working can be requested from the first day of employment. The...

 Read Full Article
Does Your Office Match You?

Do you feel optimum productivity under the sound of silence, whilst a co-worker thrives with the pulsating beats of the office playlist? Maybe the vibrant prints on your...

 Read Full Article
x+why Opens its First Suburban Office Hub for Home Workers

Flexible workspace provider x+why has opened its first suburban site in Chiswick, potentially indicating upcoming trends for regional hubs rather than...

 Read Full Article
Flexible Working to Become Day One Right Under UK Law

The government has announced plans to make the right to request flexible working a legal right from day one of employment. Every employee will be given the right to...

 Read Full Article