Brits still dissatisfied with broadband speeds

Brits are still not satisfied with broadband speeds - and with good reason since actual line speeds are still on average 50 per cent less than the headline speeds advertised.

Almost a third (28 per cent) of fat pipe subscribers - an estimated 4.2 million customers - in the UK are not satisfied with the speed they receive from their provider, according to a survey by price comparison website uSwitch. And fewer than one in 10 (eight per cent) of those subscribing to an up to 8Mbps service can confirm they actually receive the full 8Mbps.

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Last month telecoms regulator Ofcom announced a voluntary code of practice for ISPs for speed, with guidelines including providing customers with an accurate estimate of the maximum speed their line is likely to achieve, and offering to move them onto a lower speed package when estimates prove inaccurate. The regulator warned it would be conducting mystery shopping exercises and said if the voluntary system does not work it will consider introducing regulation.

The uSwitch survey found the standard advertised speed for broadband is 8Mbps but the average speed actually achieved is only 4Mbps. Moreover, some seven million consumers - or nearly half of all broadband customers in the UK - are technically incapable of getting the standard headline speed of 8Mbps as only around half (42 per cent) of non-cable broadband lines are able to receive 6Mbps or above, according to uSwitch.

Speed is second only to reliability when it comes to broadband consumers' wish-lists, the survey found. Well over half (58 per cent) of respondents said it is one of the most important factors when it comes to choosing a service; ahead of value for money (54 per cent); customer service (12 per cent) and technical support (12 per cent). Reliability of connection was cited as important by 60 per cent of respondents.

The survey also found nearly a third (30 per cent) of consumers now watch TV or video online.

uSwitch added that international broadband rankings put the UK's 4Mbps average to shame, with Japan boasting an average connection speed of 64Mbps, Korea with 50Mbps and France on 18Mbps.