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09|01|09

Ofcom reveals UK's average broadband speed

UK consumers receive an average broadband speed of 3.6 megabits per second (Mbit/s), comprehensive new Ofcom research reveals today.

That’s less than the average maximum possible speed of 4.3 Mbit/s across the UK and significantly below advertised headline speeds.

Speeds are slowest between 5pm and 6pm on Sundays, when use of the internet is at its highest.

But most consumers say they’re reasonably happy with their broadband service - although speed is the most commonly cited cause of dissatisfaction.

Comprehensive study

Although 3.6 Mbit/s is sufficient for many internet applications, including audio and standard definition video, over 60% of UK consumers currently subscribe to packages promising speeds of up to 8 Mbit/s.

Our research found that one in five of these subscribers actually receive an average speed of less than 2 Mbit/s, while on average the actual speed consumers receive is 45% of the advertised headline speed.

Today’s research is the most sophisticated and thorough study ever conducted into UK broadband speeds.

Around 7,000 tests were run through monitoring units connected to around 1,500 homes’ broadband routers over a 30 day period.

Distance and time of day

This resulted in over 10 million separate tests of a range of suppliers’ services.

• On average, consumers living in urban areas receive speeds 15% faster than those in rural areas, largely because of distance.
• Consumers in London received the fastest average speeds, with those in the north east of England, Wales and Scotland receiving on average the slowest speeds.
• DSL broadband speeds depend in part on distance from the local BT exchange.
• DSL and cable broadband speeds vary by time of day due to differing traffic levels on ISPs’ networks.

  Customer satisfaction

  When it comes to customer satisfaction, most consumers surveyed were reasonably happy with their broadband service, although 9% expressed dissatisfaction overall.

  And while 93% of consumers were satisfied with their experience of web browsing, this dropped among users of applications which typically benefit from faster speeds or more consistent performance.

  For example, only two thirds (67%) of those who use their broadband connection to watch or download TV programmes were satisfied with the experience.

  The research also revealed that, while 91% of consumers said that speed was an important consideration when signing up with their current broadband provider, 28% of them were unaware of the headline speed package they purchased.

  Overall, dissatisfaction with broadband is higher for rural users (14%) than urban users (8%).

  Code of practice

  At a regional level, consumers in the North East, Eastern and South West English regions are significantly more satisfied than users in East Midlands, Wales and Scotland.

  Ofcom has already taken a number of steps to ensure that consumers get better information about broadband speeds.

  Since last month over 95 per cent of people choosing a broadband service have been covered by the Ofcom broadband speeds Code of Practice.

  It requires Internet Service Providers to provide an accurate estimate of the maximum speed they can expect when signing up to a service.

  Read more about the code and download a consumer guide

  Ofcom’s Chief Executive, Ed Richards said: ‘Ofcom’s research is one of the most comprehensive assessments of consumers’ broadband experiences to date.

  'We want to see all Internet Service Providers meet the needs of their customers by clearly explaining what speeds they should expect and by ensuring that their networks meet consumers’ increasing demand for higher speed broadband.

  ‘We have already seen the first steps towards next generation super-fast broadband in the UK and we expect further developments this year. Ofcom will publish the next steps for the regulatory framework early this year.’

  Learn more about super-fast broadband

  The full broadband speeds research document can be found here.

  The research was conducted in association with broadband performance specialists SamKnows and market research company GfK Ltd.

  The broadband speed research project is scheduled to last at least six months. A fuller research report will be published in spring 2009.

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