Ofcom says consumers still being misled over broadband speeds

According to the communications regulator, Ofcom, consumers in the UK are still being misled over their broadband speeds by provider advertisements.

It has been claimed recently by the communications giant in the UK, Ofcom, that many consumers are still being misled with regards to their broadband speeds as a result of the up to speeds that Internet Service Providers use when advertising their services. A report was recently published by the regulator, which showed that whilst broadband speeds in the UK had been improving the gap between the actual and the advertised speeds were actually increasing.

The data on fixed line broadband in the UK showed that over the past six months average broadband speeds have increased by ten percent, rising to 6.8Mbps. However, the data showed that around fifty percent of consumers were on broadband plans that were supposed to offer speeds in excess of 10Mbps according to the advertising but in actual fact most consumers were not getting these advertised speeds.

Ofcom chief executive, Ed Richards, said: “The UK broadband market has transformed since Ofcom first published its research two and a half years ago. We are now seeing consumers increasingly move to higher rated services and enjoying genuinely faster speeds. Consumers also have access to better broadband information, allowing them to decide which provider to use based on actual speeds they can achieve at home. However, the research is still telling us that some consumers are not receiving anywhere near the speeds that are being advertised by some ISPs.”

Are you being misled by your ISP over speeds?

Source – IT Pro Portal