Date: Friday, August 3, 2007
Broadband providers in go slow claims
Internet service providers (ISPs) have been criticised for their inaccurate claims over broadband speeds, following an investigation by consumer watchdog Which?. The tests were carried out following complaints from customers that their internet connections were not operating at the speeds advertised. Of the 300 customer’s broadband services that were tested an average speed of only 2.7Mbps (megabits per second) was recorded as opposed to the 8Mbps advertised. The lowest speed was a shocking 0.09Mbps, the same speed as dial-up, and the fastest only 6.7Mbps. One ISP, BT has said that it would be highly unlikely that anyone would receive the full 8Mbps, unless they lived on top of the telephone exchange. This is something BT is endeavouring to change with the development of their 21st Century Network (21CN) programme, in which they are upgrading their exchanges to allow speeds of up to 24Mbps, which will be available from 2008. Now the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has ruled that broadband providers must make it clear in their advertising that connection speeds depended on how far the consumer lived from the exchange. Other factors that will also affect the speed of a person’s broadband connection are how many other premises are being served by the same exchange, the length and gauge of the line from the exchange, electromagnetic interference from other electrical items in a house, and the type of modem.
Analyst firm Point Topic believe that consumers are resigned to the fact that they will not get high-speed internet soon. This is something which is supported by the negative responses received in the survey which accompanied the tests, in which customers were asked whether they thought a product advertising speeds of 8Mbps could actually reach that level. The low speeds recorded in the Which? tests have caused the company to ask Ofcom to investigate broadband companies’ claims over internet speed.
Source:
BBC New
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