More TalkTalk problems as it falls foul of Advertising Standards Authority

After a tough 2011 for TalkTalk, the UK’s third biggest home broadband supplier has started 2012 by getting its wrist slapped by the ASA for its recent TV ad campaign: a case brought by rival and UK home broadband number one BT.

From now on, thanks to the Advertising Standards Authority ruling, TalkTalk is not allowed to claim it has the UK’s safest broadband. Instead, the ASA ruled it only has ‘basic’ security.

The adverts came on the back of the release of TalkTalk’s HomeSafe service last year. TalkTalk claimed that, as it is the only home broadband provider offering network level security measures, these make it the safest. However, as this doesn’t mean it’s necessarily safer for users (because you can instead put equally effective security measures on your broadband after it enters the home) the ASA sided with BT (and two members of the public).

In its defence, TalkTalk claimed it had never meant to imply consumers were guaranteed to have a safer online experience with it, but the ASA thought its adverts suggested otherwise.

The latest figures put BT at close to six million home broadband customers (including Plusnet), with Virgin Media second (4.3m) and TalkTalk (including AOL) third (4.1m). Fourth is an improving Sky Broadband (3.5m), with Orange (700k) and O2 (600k) next in the pecking order.