Many broadband customers not receiving expected speeds

According to the communications regulator, Ofcom, many broadband customers in Britain are failing to receive the speeds they expected when signing up.

One of the major swaying factors for many consumers that are looking for a broadband service is the speed that they will receive in addition to other factors such as price and reliability. Some people base their decision on which broadband package and provider to select largely on the basis of the speed that they will receive. However, it appears that many may not be getting what they have actually signed up for.

According to the UK’s communications regulators, Ofcom, many people are failing to get the broadband speeds that they signed up for. A recent report from the regulator indicated that around twenty five percent of consumers with broadband are not happy because they are not getting the expected speeds. The data was released as the regulator launched a new voluntary code of practice for Internet Service Providers.

Under the new code of practice ISPs will need to advise potential customers at the time of the sale with regards to the maximum speeds that they can expect to get as part of the package they are signing up to. ISPs will have to give as accurate an estimate as possible with regards to these expected maximum speeds.

An official from Ofcom stated: “We’ll be mystery shopping and checking the ISPs are complying with the code. If ISPs are not adhering to the code, we’ll consider making it mandatory, which will lead to sanctions.” However, some are concerned that the regulations are not going far enough, with one industry official stating: “It looks at ‘point of sale’ information but doesn’t address misleading advertising claims. We feel that broadband providers should advertise speeds in the same way that loans are advertised, detailing a typical speed achieved.”