Ofcom speed test results reveal 'real' speeds? Not quite... - full industry reaction

Ofcom has today published speed test data from the UK's biggest ISPs that shows, once again, that consumers are lucky if they get half the 'up to' advertised speeds pedalled by internet providers.

The report released today claims to deliver "independent, robust data on the actual speeds that UK consumers are getting from their broadband providers". Due to its survey size, Ofcom was only prepared to release provider-specific data on the largest nine UK ISPs, and only on their 8Mb products (or 10Mb in the case of Virgin). These ISP-specific results are drawn from its much publicised speed tests, taken back in April, which claimed (at the time) that the average UK broadband speed was just 4.1Mb, compared to the average 'up to' headline speed claimed of 7.1Mb. 

The table below shows "the average speeds received by the sample (including margin for error) for each ISP" - see below for the reaction to the results from the industry:

Broadband Genie editor Chris Marling commented: “These results largely back the results we found from our speed tests covering the same period, at least in terms of ISP performance: our Q1 results, released in May when they were more relevant, also put Virgin Media ahead of a pack led by O2, with PlusNet, Sky and TalkTalk not too far behind.

“But believe it or not the Ofcom results actually paste a rosy picture. People may be disappointed to see an average 'real broadband speed' of less than half the 'up to' speed advertised by the ISPs, but in truth what the consumer experiences is even worse. These tests are quite pure, showing speeds at a customer's router, so do not take into account further slowdown from Wi-Fi connections, PC issues and so on. Comparing the Ofcom results to our own, we estimate the actual speed customers get to work with is often between 50 and 75 per cent of that quoted here – that could be 1-2Mb slower.

“We would agree with BT that releasing such old data doesn't paint a fair reflection of current events, as it begins to roll out broadband on ADSL2+ that is potentially up to three times faster than its old 8Mb ADSL lines. However, it is hard to disagree with Virgin Media's conclusion that 'up to' speeds quoted by ISPs running on BT's copper network cannot be trusted. We can only hope that Ofcom's decision to release this data, however late it may be, will force the ISPs into offering a more realistic sales pitch to consumers looking for broadband.”

Sebastien Lahtinen of Think Broadband, which provides the Broadband Genie speed test, commented: "The report is very positive about the speeds achieved by the Virgin Media 10 meg customers, although the lack of sufficient 50 meg customers to provide any data does illustrate consumers have not been willing to pay a significant price premium for faster services. Virgin's new pricing however may change this as it pushes ahead of BT and LLU operators which are a significantly behind in next generation broadband. Fibre optic or not, it's a good product!"

Provider reaction

Predictably bullish about its strong results, a Virgin Media spokesperson said:"It's what customers get, not what their ISP claims, that counts. Today's report emphatically demonstrates that the "up to" marketing claims of most copper-based broadband providers are not to be trusted, with most major ISPs delivering less than half of what they promise. Virgin Media delivers more than any other major ISP - even our cheapest broadband tier delivers double the average of our major competitors - and we are committed to making all of our marketing better reflect the actual experience our customers get."

Equally predictable yet equally valid were BT's criticism's of the release: "The small sample used in this survey and the measurement of line length from exchanges make the report unreliable. The independent broadband-performance benchmarking company, Epitiro, uses samples around ten times the size used in Ofcom’s report and its results give us a more accurate and positive perspective for BT. Ofcom’s report is also out of date because we are transferring customers to new broadband technology, ADSL2+, which provides much higher speeds.

"BT Retail provides broadband to customers in rural areas too; many other ISPs do not or cannot do this. This means we have many customers whose lines are at the limit of broadband service, with resulting lower average speeds. Ofcom says that it has taken account of distance from exchanges ‘as the crow flies’. However, lines from exchanges have never been laid out directly from exchanges to premises. They travel via connection points, making the actual length much longer than Ofcom has accounted for."

O2 came out of the results well in comparison to its direct copper-based rivals, and its spokesperson was clearly upbeat: "We consistently feature at the top of polls for ISPs with speeds of up to 8MB and have been careful to set a number of measures to ensure we are transparent over the speeds customers can get. There are a wide range of different factors which impact the speed a customer can get, ranging from distance from the exchange to the wiring in their home.

"We pride ourselves on being open with our customers and tell them their predicated line speed before they purchase and then their actual speed once they have been connected. We also offer them a 30 day Money Back Guarantee which gives then an extended time to change their mind if they are not happy with their service. We clearly differentiate ourselves through the customer service wrap, offering free UK-based 24/7 customer service, unlimited usage, free McAfee security and inclusive wireless router."

PlusNet made a guarded response and more reaction is expected from the ISP once it digests the entire 100+ page report. A spokesperson said: "The report indicates that speeds offered by PlusNet are broadly compatible with the rest of the industry, which is pleasing. We are currently examining the methodology behind the report and will be able to comment further once that analysis is complete."

Our Orange Broadband spokesperson was keen to point out future positives rather than dwell on some pretty poor results: "We have invested heavily in our home broadband network over the past 18 months, taking steps to ensure we now have one of the most reliable broadband services in the UK, with ample capacity for customers to access the content they want at anytime during the day or night. As a result, we have already received positive recognition from independent survey companies for the quality of the broadband speeds we offer.

"We will continue to invest in our network to offer the best services we are able to and are currently trialling up to 20 Meg download speeds to customers on our network. It's worth bearing in mind though that download speeds are only one part of the overall package, with Orange also offering some of the best value broadband services in the market."

Over at TalkTalk, which now owns AOL and Tiscali, it was a case of good news/bad news. A spokesperson said: "TalkTalk was the first UK ISP to inform the customer of the average broadband speed they would be receiving at point-of-sale and we’ve built Britain’s biggest Next Generation Network to ensure that TalkTalk customers get consistent and reliable speeds.

"Our plans to migrate Tiscali customers to this network are advanced. It is accessible from 80% of the country and 90% of our customers have told us our network is as good, or better, than their previous network.

"With AOL Broadband, many customers signed up for packages offering lower speeds than 8Mbit/s and we believe that these different speed profiles may account for a lower average than we expected. We're working with SamKnows to clarify if this might be the case."

We'll add more reaction as it arrives. Until then, have your say over at our blog.