The Ofcom survey which claimed that UK broadband users were experiencing significantly reduced speeds compared to those advertised in the press has prompted great discussion within the industry. As you would expect, BT has been very forthcoming with claims that the survey is already out of date and ultimately unreliable, citing the fact that more and more BT broadband customers are being transferred to the company’s higher speed and more reliable broadband network.
The Ofcom report claimed the fastest broadband speed in the UK was 7.2 Mb per second and this was only possible because of the close vicinity to the telephone exchange in question. When comparing services advertised at the 8 Mb per second Ofcom revealed that in practice the average speed was only around 3.9 Mb per second although one in five in the UK are experiencing speeds as low as 2 Mb per second. This is not a new issue or a new problem for the industry but it is one which continues to cause concern amongst UK broadband users.
The onset of the British Telecom fibre optic broadband network will make a significant difference in years to come and should not only increase top speeds available but also reduce the difference between advertised broadband speeds and average broadband speeds.