UK broadband users are addicted to speed
24th April 2008
We are a nation of ‘speed freaks’ according to broadband comparison site Top 10 Broadband, based on over 90,000 broadband speed tests captured in March. Download speed seems to be the primary factor in deciding broadband customer satisfaction. The top three fastest broadband providers were also the three highest rated.
Using their broadband speed test, the team measures the download speed of each user’s broadband connection and asks users to rate their broadband provider out of five at the same time. Customers on faster broadband connections awarded their providers higher customer satisfaction ratings than did those with slower speeds, suggesting a nation of speed-hungry broadband users.
O2 topped the rankings in terms of both speed and customer ratings, with an average speed of 6.41Mb and customer rating of 3.82 out of 5, second and third for both speed and rating were Be and Virgin Media respectively. Tesco paled in comparison with an average download speed of 1.42Mb and average customer rating of just 2.86 out of 5 making it the slowest ISP in this study.
“This report sends an indisputable message to broadband providers to speed up or face the wrath of disappointed customers. BT’s planned infrastructure upgrade, which will provide super-fast ADSL2+ download speeds across the UK, starting at the end of the month cannot come soon enough.” Says Jessica McArdle from Top 10 Broadband.
According to the data collected, the average speed of UK broadband connections is just 3.18Mb, despite this fact most ISPs advertise speeds of up to 8Mb and beyond. In light of this disparity in the UK broadband market, consumer groups are putting Ofcom under increased pressure to demand a change in broadband provider advertising, forcing providers to quote average rather then maximum speeds which most users do not achieve.
The above results are based on a sample of 92,878 speed tests captured by the Top 10 Broadband speed test in March 2008. Only ISPs with over 250 speed tests captured were included in the study.
About Top 10 Broadband:
Operated by Formula, a Central London-based web company, Top 10 Broadband has over 350,000 visitors a month. The team also publishes broadband news stories on a daily basis. Formula frequently provides comments to newspapers, radio stations and websites on broadband industry trends and broadband advancements.
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Contact:
For more information, call Jessica McArdle at Formula on 020 3170 8042, or email marketing@formuladigital.co.uk.
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