UK Broadband Speeds on the Rise

Good news everyone! According to Ofcom, we’re nearly getting the broadband speeds that we pay for!

According to recently released figures, in November 2011, average broadband speeds had risen from 6.8Mbps to 7.6Mbps in a little under six months. And, somewhat amazingly, Virgin Media and BT Infinity were reaching speeds that nearly, just about (but not quite) matched the speeds and performance advertised.

Despite the fact that the UK is still lagging far behind technological powerhouses Latvia and Moldova, Ofcom’s Chief Executive was upbeat at the news:

“We can look forward to further increases in UK broadband speeds over the next few years. Most households in the UK can now access superfast broadband services, and these services are set to get faster still.”

Ed Richards – Ofcom Chief Executive

But despite the blistering broadband speeds available (just over one fifth the speed of South Korean internet connections). Ofcom still aren’t happy about the discrepancy between the speeds that UK consumers are sold, and the speeds that they actually receive.

However, the long awaited new codes jointly suggested by the Committee of Advertising Practice and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice are due to come into effect in April 2012. This that internet service providers will be forced to tell you the speeds you’ll actually receive. So outlandish “up to 24 Mbps” claims could be a thing of the past.

Unless broadband providers actually provide us with a decent service, and one that’ll allow Britain’s online economy to grow even further…

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