Strict watch on broadband speed claims.

by Meghna Mukherjee

Recent research released by Ofcom has shown that broadband connection providers in the UK are cheating millions of their customers by not delivering the speeds that they are advertising.

A report by Ofcom, the communications regulator, shows that there is a huge difference between the broadband speeds customers are signing up for and the connections that they are actually receiving.

The average actual speed is now just 46 per cent of what was promised, down from 56 per cent a year ago. Ofcom’s broadband speeds research, conducted in partnership with broadband monitoring specialists SamKnows, reported that nearly a quarter of broadband users said they received a slower service than expected, and this was the most common complaint to Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

Virgin Media is the only ISP that is delivering close to the maximum speed advertised, according to the research. The advantage it is said to have is that it is a fairly new cable network.

23-year-old student Kruti Dalal seconds this finding as she is happy with the Virgin Media service that she has been receiving. ''I purposely took the cheapest package Virgin Media had to offer, but still the connection is fast,'' she says.

Other ISPs such as Orange, O2, Sky and such on the other hand, that depend on BT's 'last mile' local network, have been giving quite unsatisfactory speeds in comparison.
The growing demand for faster broadband packages is one of the main reasons for the internet speed slowdown as more computer users are watching television and playing games online, or sharing their connection between many PCs. This has led ISPs to fight it out and offer faster services in a race to be chosen over the other – promising "up to" 20Mbps, instead of the standard maximum speed of 8Mbps, even though the communications infrastructure may be incapable of supporting such services.

Another problem is that many households are sharing a large broadband 'pipe' in the local exchange, so the average speeds are lessening at peak times.

These research findings are disappointing for the users as broadband and internet have become an integral part of everyday professional as well as personal life. For most people, speed is of top-most priority when it comes to choosing a broadband connection.

Says 22-year-old student Supriya Vohra, ''I would definitely change my network if it is not up to satisfactory speed. When you get a broadband connection, speed is the first thing you look for''.

Ofcom is now stressing on tightening up the advertising rules so that an ISP can only promise a maximum speed if people can actually receive it. Ofcom has also come up with a new code of conduct that would allow consumers to cancel their broadband service with no penalty within the first three months, if the speed was significantly below what was promised.

The Ofcom research says that copper lines that connect homes and small organisations to the local BT telephone exchange are being stretched greatly to support high-speed internet access. Longer phone lines can only support slower speeds.

BT is planning to spend £2.5bn installing fibre-based broadband in two-thirds of the country by 2015 so that the service can be improved. However, BT has warned that it cannot extend coverage further without some form of government support.

In the meantime, Virgin Media's fibre optic network is taking off. They have now announced that residents of the Welsh village of Crumlin, Caerphilly, will be the first in the UK to trial ultra fast broadband delivered over existing electricity poles. Following an agreement with Surf Telecoms, a Western Power Distribution company, Virgin Media's fibre optic network is expected to effectively increase the local broadband speeds tremendously in a community that has previously relied on BT's copper infrastructure.

Also as 50Mb broadband, villagers will be offered Virgin Media's TV service, including around 5,000 hours of catch up TV and on demand content. The trial will start next month and is scheduled to run into 2011.

"We're already bringing broadband speeds of up to 50Mb and, soon 100Mb, to over half of all UK homes and are pushing the boundaries to ensure that homes right across the UK benefit from ultra fast broadband. Working in partnership with companies like Surf Telecoms, we can more rapidly and efficiently expand the reach of fibre optic networks to towns, villages and communities right across the UK," says Jon James, executive director of broadband, Virgin Media.
Richard Doble, Design and Policy Manager, Surf Telecoms, adds that both companies are pleased to be 'at the forefront of this innovation'. "Western Power Distribution's electricity infrastructure reaches over 2.5 million homes across South West England and South and West Wales and, with this trial, we're exploring an innovative new approach that could bring ultra fast broadband to many customers for the first time. The possibilities of aerial deployment promise a valuable use of existing infrastructure and an interesting new commercial opportunity for utility companies," he says.