75% of families not getting promised broadband speed
THREE in four families are not getting the headline broadband speed promised by their internet service provider, according to damning research published today.
The failure means as many as 15.4million users are suffering painfully slow access to the internet, emails and video streaming services, such as the BBC’s iPlayer and Netflix.
Evening peak use periods are a particular problem with the result that it can become impossible to watch a film without constant breaks in transmission.
Similarly, if more than one member of the family is trying to access the web at the same time – to do homework, play a game or check emails – the broadband can grind to a halt.
The speed of service is considered as extremely important by nine in ten consumers, yet the companies are failing to deliver the figures claimed. Research by consumer group Which? found that 74 per cent of households never get the speed advertised by the broadband provider.
It seems some firms cash in on the failures of their service by suggesting dissatisfied customers need to move to a more expensive package with higher download speeds.
The problem stems from the fact that broadband firms such as BT, EE, TalkTalk, Sky, and Plusnet can claim to offer an ‘up to’ broadband speed providing just 10 per cent of households get this figure.
However, just 4 per cent of customers on TalkTalk’s 17Mbps package got this speed. And as few as 1 per cent on BT and Plusnet’s 76Mbps deals, got this speed.
The fact that most of the UK’s broadband services are carried over copper phone wires that were installed decades ago for voice calls slows down access to the web. Those who live near a phone exchange, which tend to be in towns and cities, have the best chance of getting something like the advertised speed. Families and businesses in rural locations have virtually zero chance.
Which? found three in ten households in towns were able to receive a maximum speed that matches the one advertised, however, incredibly, 98 per cent of rural homes did not.
The consumer group said the public are being seriously misled by the way the firms are allowed to market the speed of their services. In Britain, the ISPs tend to offer packages around four advertised speeds – 8Mbps, 17Mbps, 38Mbps and 76Mbps. Prices can range from £54 a year to £312. The situation is very different in the US, where prices are based on the actual speed delivered.
Which? said the only fair approach was to the advertise the speed that the majority of customers receive. The group’s executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: ‘People shouldn’t be persuaded to buy a package which is never going to live up to expectations.’
BT said all new customers get a personal broadband speed quote before signing up. It said: ‘If they are happy with the speed, but find they don’t achieve it, we allow them to end their contracts.’
TalkTalk said: ‘Our data, based on over half a million customers, which far exceeds Which’s base of a few hundred, shows TalkTalk homes can achieve speeds beyond 17Mbps.’
Plusnet said Ofcom performance reports showed one of its services was ‘consistently faster than our competitors on a 24-hour average and at peak times’.
‘Public being seriously misled’