Recent quarterly broadband speed tests, carried out for the first time by moneysupermarket.com, have revealed disappointing results for most UK broadband users.
Moneysupermarket.com tested 16 ISPs (Internet Service Providers) across the country, and discovered that top of the list was O2. Users of the 8Mbps deal received average speeds of 5.39Mbps, which were the fastest when compared to those stated by the provider. Other ISPs to perform well were Sky, whose customers received average speeds of 3.59Mbps, and TalkTalk, who came in third place with 2.99Mbps.
It was revealed that the least value for money was found in the packages which offered speeds of over 16Mbps, at an average cost of £18.60. These actually provided an average speed of just 7.02Mbps, less than half of what they claimed. The same was true of the packages offering 8Mbps, which only provided an average of 4Mbps.
However, the average across the UK was only 2.97Mbps, which has led to concerns about the speeds being advertised by providers. Rob Barnes, head of broadband and mobiles at moneysupermarket.com, said: “O2 has sped its way to the top of the broadband league”. He also pointed out that the speeds advertised were far from what were really on offer, and claimed that “Ofcom’s code of practice can’t come into force soon enough”.
Ofcom currently has a voluntary code to make sure speeds are adhered to but it has promised to make it compulsory if rules continue to be broken. The code states that ISPs should provide a true estimate of the maximum speeds, and this is currently failing to happen.
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