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28|07|09

Ofcom reveals UK’s real broadband speeds

Speed a big issue for consumers

60 million readings show differences among suppliers and technologies

New Ofcom guide and video for consumers

Ofcom today published the results of its research into fixed-line broadband speeds in the UK.

Speed has become more significant as people increasingly use the internet for bandwidth-hungry applications such as downloading video and audio, but there has been a lack of reliable information on the actual speeds delivered by ISPs.

The research, carried out in conjunction with technical partner SamKnows and market research agency GfK, provides independent, robust data on the actual speeds that UK consumers are getting from their broadband providers. Over 60 million separate service performance tests were carried out in over 1600 homes between November 2008 and April 2009. The research sample allowed Ofcom to compare the performance of the UK’s nine largest ISPs by market share over this period.

A consumer perceptions survey conducted alongside the research found that speeds were a key issue for broadband consumers. The majority of consumers were happy with the speeds they received although over a quarter of consumers (26 per cent) said that the speed they received was not what they expected when they signed up to the service.

Factors affecting broadband speeds

The research found that there were significant differences in the download speeds offered by providers, with speeds depending on the technology used to deliver broadband and the capacity of the provider’s network.

In April 2009, the latest month for which data was gathered, Ofcom’s research showed the following:

Nationwide performance

• The average broadband speed in the UK in April 2009 was 4.1Mbit/s. This compares to an average ‘up to’ headline speed of 7.1 Mbit/s.
• The actual speeds received varied widely. Fewer than one in ten (9 per cent) of our sample on 8Mbit/s headline packages received actual average speeds of over 6Mbit/s and around one in five (19 per cent) received, on average, less than 2Mbit/s.
• Those living in urban areas received significantly faster speeds than those living in rural areas. The average speed delivered to urban consumers was 4.6Mbit/s, compared to an average of 3.3Mbit/s delivered to rural consumers.
• Consumers with all ISPs experienced a slowdown in actual speeds during peak evening hours (8-10pm), with speeds in this period around 20 per cent slower than over a 24-hour period.

ISP performance

Overall, consumers on ‘up to’ 8Mbit/s packages whose broadband service is delivered through second-generation DSL technology (ADSL2+) received faster speeds than those who use the more common first-generation ADSL1. But the results also showed that ISPs using ADSL1 who invest in network capacity are able to deliver speeds as good as ADSL2+ operators. Cable customers received significantly faster speeds than both ADSL technologies (see ‘Notes for Editors’ for explanation of technology).

The table below shows the average speeds received by the sample (including margin of error) for each ISP.

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

Source: SamKnows measurement data for all panel members with ‘up to’ 8Mbit/s or ‘up to’ 10Mbit/s connections in April 2009

*Data for O2 and Plusnet should be treated with caution as sampled sizes were smaller than for other ISPs

As well as speeds, a range of factors such as price, availability and quality of customer service need to be considered when making any individual choice. A new Ofcom guide for consumers on what to consider when choosing a broadband service can be found here: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/guides/bbchoice.pdf.

Ofcom’s updated consumer guide on broadband speeds can be found here: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/guides/bbspeeds.pdf.

Improving speeds in the home

ISPs who have signed up to Ofcom’s voluntary broadband speeds Code of Practice have committed to explain clearly to new customers the speeds they are likely to obtain, and also to tell them what steps they can take to improve their broadband performance http://www.ofcom.org.uk/telecoms/ioi/copbb/.

Ofcom has released today a consumer advice video on practical tips to improve broadband speeds in the home: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/telecoms/reports/broadband_speeds/speeds/.

The full research report which includes a glossary of terms can be found here: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/telecoms/reports/broadband_speeds/broadband_speeds/.

Ends.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. The Communications Act 2003 requires Ofcom to make arrangements to find out about consumers’ experiences of electronic communications services and the way they are provided (section 14). We do this by carrying out research into their experiences of these services. We have a duty to publish the results of our research and to take account of it in carrying out our functions (section 15).

2. Ofcom introduced the voluntary broadband speeds Code of Practice on 5 December 2008: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/telecoms/ioi/copbb/.

3. ISPs with lower than 2 per cent market share across the UK were excluded from the research due to insufficient sample sizes.

4. The ranges published above include the margin of error given in terms of the 95 per cent confidence interval of the mean. In statistical terms, if the research was carried out repeatedly then the results would fall within the expected range at least 95% of the time. The national and headline data was weighted to ensure that the results were representative of the population as a whole. The data combines both on-net and off-net customers and has been weighted accordingly. The ISP-specific results were adjusted to take into account the fact that panellists varied in terms of distance from the exchange, thereby allowing a consistent comparison.

5. Broadband is delivered to homes and businesses via a number of different technologies. Virgin Media’s cable services are available to around 49 per cent of the UK population. Other providers use copper wires and Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), a digital technology that allows the use of a standard copper telephone line to provide high speed data communications. An upgraded form of this technology called ADSL 2+ is mainly used by operators who use local loop unbundling (LLU). In June BT Retail announced that it was upgrading a large proportion of connections to ADSL2+.

6. At the end of March 2009 there were 17.6m residential and SME broadband internet connections in the UK, 6.6m (60 per cent) more than in 2006. Ofcom research shows that 65 per cent of UK homes had a fixed broadband connection in Q1 2009, up from 41 per cent in 2006. A further 3 per cent of households used a mobile broadband connection as their sole broadband connection in Q1 2009. Ofcom consumer research finds that 6 per cent of broadband users said that they had switched supplier in the previous year.

7. Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services.

8. For further information about Ofcom please visit: www.ofcom.org.uk. Ofcom’s news releases can be found at: www.ofcom.org.uk/media/.

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