Less than one fifth of UK broadband connections exceed 5Mbps

Recently released data has indicated that less than one fifth of the broadband connections in the UK actually exceed speeds of 5Mbps, despite the average advertised speed now being 11.5Mbps.

The speed of the connection and service is something that many broadband users in the UK focus on when choosing a broadband plan, and this is why many choose the plan that they opt for based on the advertised speed, as they assume that this means that they will get a fast connection. The average advertised broadband speed in the UK is now said to be 11.5Mbps.

However, recently released data has shown that in actual fact less than one fifth of broadband connections in the UK are getting speeds that exceed 5Mbps, and in fact the majority are getting far slower speeds than this even though the speed advertised by the ISP may be far greater.

Only seventeen percent of broadband connections in the UK are receiving speeds of more than 5Mbps according to the Internet hosting company Akamai, and this was highlighted in its most recent State of the Internet Report. The average speed in the UK is now said to be 3.9Mbps, and even though around 83 percent now have speeds that exceed 2Mbps only a small proportion have speeds of above 5Mbps.

An official from the UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, stated: “Actual speeds are often much lower than many of the advertised speeds, which makes it essential that consumers are given information which is as accurate as possible at the point of sale; this is what the new code is designed to deliver.”

Source – ZDNet Asia