uSwitch: BBC broadband speeds report

Jason Glynn, Communications Expert, uSwitch.com comments on the BBC's broadband speeds report: "The BBC's investigation into broadband speeds in UK homes paints a worrying picture considering the government has promised to provide all homes in the UK with speeds of at least 2Mbps by 2012. Our own research has found that a quarter (25%) of broadband users have speeds of 2Mb or less and 45% are not happy with their broadband speed. While traditionally regional areas suffer the most, the BBC's research has found that many people in suburban areas are also suffering. Six months ago Ofcom introduced a voluntary Code of Practice to offer broadband customers greater clarity on what speed they will receive, yet almost half (44%) of customers do not know what speed they are actually getting.

"But there is still an issue with customers getting the best speeds in rural areas, there is a real problem with limited choice and lower speeds as LLU is often not available. Companies only roll-out their LLU network when there is a big enough demand. The imminent launch from BT of its next generation network of ADSL2+ (up to 20 Mb) will provide faster speeds than currently available, however it is still likely that rural areas will be slower than other parts of the country in the short term. Houses in rural areas are also likely to be further from an exchange so will still suffer from slower speeds compared to urban locations."

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