28 November 2007
Research from uSwitch has found widespread discontent among Britons with their broadband services - with over one quarter of those polled unhappy with the speed of their connection.
If applied nationwide, this would be equivalent to over 4 million UK broadband users.
Inaccurate advertising such as the preponderance of 'up to' 8Mb deals are also giving Britons a false picture of their connection speeds, uSwitch found.
The average advertised speed for the connections is 5Mb - but the actual average speed is just 3Mb.
Even worse, 40% of non-cable customers can only hope to receive a maximum speed of 2mb, despite media campaigns from service providers to the contrary.
Steve Weller, Head of Communications Services, at uSwitch said: “The ‘speed demons’ are the broadband companies still willing to let their customers to pay for an advertised broadband speed when they know full well it is impossible for them to receive it.
"It’s like selling a Porsche that will only go as fast as a Reliant Robin."
In worldwide broadband surveys, the UK ranks just 17th for connection speeds - with UK broadband services found to be an average of five times slower than the equivalents in neighbouring France, for example.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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