Ofcom right to act against home broadband ISPs

Ofcom today announced the results of its latest speed test results, carried out in conjunction with SamKnows. The headline news was that the average actual speeds on DSL lines were still less than half of the 'up to' speeds advertised, with the disparity in the figures getting worse since new higher 'up to' speeds of 20Mb+ have been announced. 

The news for cable customers was much better, as Virgin Media's speeds were averaging more than 75 per cent of its claimed 'up to' speeds. But due to the failure of the DSL companies, Ofcom has acted to introduce new stricter rules on advertising broadband speeds.

The average speeds make predictably depressing reading and while many will complain about the new system being introduced, the industry only has itself to blame.

We at Broadband Genie have been calling for an end to 'up to' speeds for a long time now, as it is clearly a ridiculous concept. An average actual speed of 6.5Mb on lines supposedly capable of 20Mb or higher starkly confirms that. It was only a matter of time before the ASA and Ofcom were forced into action.

The UK's broadband suppliers had ample time to come to their senses, but once again waited to be regulated against before acting on their own accord. Only Virgin Media comes out of this round of testing with any credit, although O2 and BE can at least claim to be making the best of our groaning DSL network.

We can only hope this makes the mobile broadband networks, many of which are the same companies so embarrassed here, make sure the same regulation isn't forced on them in the near future too. The situation is as bad or worse for mobile broadband users, and we hope the ASA and Ofcom train their full weight on this area next, for the good of consumers.