14 March 2008
BT Wholesale, the largest broadband supplier in the UK, has called for the sector to be more realistic when advertising speeds.
According to BT, users should be told there is a difference between line speed and "throughput" - or the speed of data moving down the line during an activity such as downloading.
The average throughput speeds should be listed rather than a maximum that may not be reached, it said, to avoid disappointing consumers when the service fails to live up to its claims.
Guy Bradshaw of BT Wholesale told BBC News: "The industry needs to join together with Ofcom to agree a set of principles as to how these messages should be communicated and advertised."
This would help give consumers an understanding that is "as accurate as it can be", Mr Bradshaw added.
His comments come after a study by Point Topic found that of those who signed up for a broadband service with an advertised maximum download speed of 16 Mbps, only 4% actually received this speed.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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