SPEED UP BROADBAND
BROADBAND is vital to most households but when it runs slow or fails, the consequences can be wide-ranging. Work, finances – even relationships – can suffer. Though improvements are promised following recommendations made by regulator Ofcom, you can follow The Mail on Sunday’s guide to get more out of your broadband now.
MOST households are suffering from broadband blindness – not knowing what speed of internet connection they should be getting – or even how much they are paying for it. Research for The Mail on Sunday, carried out by broadband provider Hyperoptic, found that three in five households do not know what speed they are meant to be getting from their provider.
Also, a remarkable three quarters of the 3,000 householders questioned do not know how much they are paying for broadband. Half have never swapped provider.
With the revamped Ofcom ‘code of practice’ on meeting promised broadband speeds now a year old, consumers are being urged to improve their grasp of broadband – and switch if their provider literally does not come up to speed.
The code of practice, which most broadband companies abide by, allows customers to escape from broadband contracts if they have not got the minimum guaranteed connection speed.
Broadband speed is crucial for many homes – affecting how fast a film can be downloaded or how many people can connect to the internet at once.
Hyperoptic’s research found that since nearly nine in ten households get broadband as part of a bundle – where they pay for their internet connection, home phone line and television in one monthly package – few know how much the broadband element costs.
Steve Holford, chief customer officer at Hyperoptic, says: ‘As well as being potentially short-changed by opting for a bundle, there is also a risk of wastage – two in five Britons don’t use their landline, despite paying for it each month.’
Some 59 per cent of households do not know when their broadband contract is up for renewal. Ewan TaylorGibson, broadband expert at comparison website uSwitch, says: ‘Contracts are getting shorter and more are now 12 months in duration rather than the previous 18 to 24month deals.
‘Many people will be out of contract and will be able to switch easily if they are not happy with their speed or service. If they are in contract the penalty for switching can sometimes be as much as the monthly cost of the contract. Even so it may well be worth switching.’
FIBRE DIET
BROADBAND originally used the copper wire that connected a home phone to an exchange – normally a green box in a nearby road – and millions of properties are still connected this way.
Nowadays more than 80 per cent of homes have access to new-style fibre networks that are up to three times faster. But just one in three homes make use of them. This is largely because of the higher monthly bills.
Sky, Plusnet and TalkTalk provide a fibre connection by piggybacking on Openreach’s fibre optic network, as does BT, which owns Openreach.
Of the big players only Virgin Media has its own fibre optic network. This goes into homes via a coaxial cable, allowing speeds of ‘up to’ 152 Megabits per second. This compares with a speed of 50Mbps from BT’s standard service.
But even these higher speeds are outpaced by a new wave of so-called ‘fibre-to-home’ providers. These are small players – such as Direct Save Telecom, Gigaclear and Hyperoptic itself – but they offer blisteringly fast speeds, such as 1,000Mbps.
Not all areas have access to the fibre optic network that will make this possible, however. Rural areas are least likely to be covered – although even some pockets of London and other cities are overlooked. Taylor-Gibson says: ‘This can be for commercial reasons or because of access – digging up certain roads may make it difficult.’
A Government-backed scheme promises to increase fibre optic coverage to 95 per cent of the country by the end of next year.
SPEED
THE average broadband speed in the UK is 28Mbps – fast enough for normal usage – with ‘superfast’ broadband defined as over 30Mbps. But buyers need to be aware that most providers advertise ‘up to’ rather than guaranteed speeds.
To be entitled to promote these headline rates just one in ten customers must be able to achieve the ‘up to’ speed consistently. Consumer group Which? is pressing for companies to be required to state a more realistic average speed.
As soon as that aggravating ‘buffering’ icon appears during a programme on internet TV, it signals the connection is under pressure. This happens at peak periods such as in the evening when more households are sitting down to do online shopping, watch Netflix or play online computing games.
If buffering happens regularly and the speed does not consistently meet the level promised in a contract, the code of practice allows customers to ask for bills to be reduced or to exit the contract early without penalty.
HINDERING HOME SALES
FAST broadband speeds are high on many home purchasers’ wish lists – so patchy performance can hamper a sale. A spokeswoman for website Rightmove, which provides a broadband speed checker alongside each property that it lists, says: ‘Broadband speeds are high on the wishlists of househunters.’
HOW FAST IS THE SERVICE?
YOU can test your broadband speed by logging on to your supplier’s website or using a comparison website such as broadband.co.uk, uSwitch and broadbandchoices. The websites also tell you the best broadband provider for your postcode. If the service is not providing its promised speed, contact your supplier.
NO BROADBAND
FOR those without access to residential broadband, one option is mobile broadband. A ‘dongle’ can connect 3G or 4G phones to your computer or tablet. But in reality if broadband is poor in an area then mobile data may also be limited.
Those ignored by big broadband players can club together to do their own thing.
Broadband for the Rural North was launched in 2011 and now covers areas of Cumbria, Lancashire and North Yorkshire. It has 1,500 customers and is non-profit making. It costs £150 to connect, then £30 a month.
Alternatively, you could try enlisting the support of neighbours and then approach firms such as Hyperoptic and Gigaclear, which will consider your custom.
BEST DEALS
OF the deals available, uSwitch says the best basic option is from TalkTalk. It provides ‘free’ unlimited broadband for 12 months and then £7.50 a month thereafter. Line rental is £17.70 a month, but speed is a modest 17Mbps.
For faster speeds, uSwitch recommends Plusnet’s Unlimited Fibre Broadband and Phone Line, with a speed of 38Mbps for those with access to a fibre network. The 18-month contract is ‘free’ for six months and then £14.99 a month. Monthly line rental is £16.99.