Ofcom to lift the lid on broadband speeds

Volunteers are being asked to come forward to help Ofcom give an accurate picture of broadband speeds across the UK.

The regulator's technical partner SamKnows is in search of people willing to install a white box in their home, which focuses on the internet service provider's network.

It will not monitor the web activity of the user, Ofcom confirmed, but will instead give people the chance to access their own data.

A similar project was run by the body last year, which following a number of broadband speed tests, found that the average connection was 4.1 Mbps.

This is opposed to the average up to headline speed of 7.1 Mbps advertised in April 2009.

If the Conservatives take power at the next election then they will offer broadband speeds of 100Mbps by 2017, Shadow Chancellor George Osborne revealed to the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

"We should be aiming to be the country in Europe with the best super-fast broadband - the world leaders in super-fast broadband," he commented.

Posted by Martin Ellis