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Ofcom extends investigation into actual broadband speeds in the UK
Friday 5th March 2010, by Daniel King
The Office of Communications (Ofcom) has announced that it plans to further create the "first real picture of UK internet speeds" by seeing how actual broadband speeds compare with the ones companies advertise.
Ofcom has asked for volunteers to confirm whether the internet access they pay for is what they get to enjoy.
It comes as its research last year unveiled that the up to headline speed advertised in April was 7.1Mbit/s.
But, in fact, the average broadband speed came out at 4.1Mbit/s. As such, the programme is being extended for another two years to find out just how good service customers are getting.
Commenting on the often-present gap between advertised speeds and actual speeds, Rory Cellan-Jones wrote on his BBC blog that many young people often want to leave the countryside because of inadequate internet access.
Indeed, it appears to be a problem for many. Speaking to Mr Cellan-Jones, Alex Salter, of SamKnows - which is helping Ofcom with its research - said: "Home users sign a 12 or 24 month broadband contract expecting that they will be able to watch internet television in real time, but in fact often experience jerky images, video pauses and a totally unwatchable experience."
Weekend and peak times prove to be a particular hindrance for people trying to use broadband connections.
In an effort to allay criticisms of the UK's broadband network performance, Digital Britain minister Stephen Timms announced work started yesterday (March 4th) on the infrastructure required for delivering next-generation broadband.
All homes will have access to 2Mbps broadband by 2012, the government claims.
Categories: Broadband
