Top 10 Broadband: Providers compelled to give average speeds by 2012

Printer-friendly versionPDF version

13 August 2009 – London, UK: Broadband providers will be obliged to advertise average connection speeds by 2012, according to Top 10 Broadband (www.top10-broadband.co.uk).

A controversial report from Ofcom recently found that the average speed delivered by broadband supplier is around 57 per cent of what is claimed in advertising campaigns. The findings prompted a raft of high-profile coverage and fuelled unprecedented demand for Top 10 Broadband’s custom-built online speed testers, with over 75,000 customers logging on to test their speed in the two weeks since the story broke.

To tackle the problem, Top 10 Broadband predicts that by 2012 broadband providers will be compelled to display the average speed that a customer can expect to receive for that provider. Furthermore, to make this as accurate as possible, two speeds will be displayed: one for rural locations, where connections are typically significantly slower, and one for those in urban areas.

Not only are advertisements for broadband devoid of average speed information but these statistics are also largely unavailable at the point of sale.

Jessica McArdle, marketing manager of Top 10 Broadband, said: “The disparity between actual and advertised broadband speeds could be eradicated in coming years if only average speeds were made available.

“Consumers deserve to know what they’re buying so they make an informed decision. We think it’s inevitable that provision of average speeds by suppliers will be standard within the next few years.”

Notes to Editors:

Top 10 Broadband is the UK's most popular dedicated broadband comparison site.
The website offers a range of comparison tools, allowing users to make quick and easy broadband buying decisions.
Top 10 Broadband is run by Formula, a leading web design and marketing company.

Links:

Top 10 Broadband homepage: http://www.top10-broadband.co.uk/
Top 10 Broadband speed test: http://www.top10-broadband.co.uk/speedtest/
Top 10 Broadband mobile broadband page: http://www.top10-broadband.co.uk/mobile_broadband/

Contact us:

Contact Name: Jessica McArdle
Role: Marketing Manager
Company: Formula
Contact Email: press@formuladigital.co.uk
Contact Phone: 02031708042
Company Website: http://www.top10-broadband.co.uk/

Top 10 Broadband providers by speed as determined by Ofcom and Sam Knows

ISP and package Average speed
AOL (‘up to’ 8Mb) 3.3 to 3.9Mb
BT (‘up to’ 8Mb) 3.8 to 4.2Mb
O2 (‘up to’ 8Mb) 4.1 to 5.1Mb
Orange (‘up to’ 8Mb) 3.8 to 4.5Mb
Plusnet (‘up to’ 8Mb) 3.8 to 4.9Mb
Sky (‘up to’ 8Mb) 4.0 to 4.7Mb
Talk Talk (‘up to’ 8Mb) 3.8 to 4.6Mb
Tiscali (‘up to’ 8Mb) 3.2 to 3.7Mb
Virgin Media(‘up to’ 10Mb) 8.1 to 8.7Mb

Ofcom warned that O2 and PlusNet’s results should be “treated with caution as sampled sizes were smaller than for other ISPs”.