Sometimes it's difficult to recall how we coped before the internet. Remember when we used to traipse around libraries just to find the piece of information that we needed? Or when we used to sit by the radio with a cassette at the ready just hoping they'd play our favourite song?
Still no matter how much the internet does for us, we always want more. In particular we want pages to open without freezing, music and movies to download quickly and, frankly, why shouldn't we? After all, we've paid for high-speed internet and that's what we expect...
But unfortunately that's rarely what we get.
You may remember last year that moneysupermarket.com conducted a survey of 43,000 broadband users and found out that only 44% got half the speed they signed up for. Ouch!
If you think you might be one of the many users being short-changed on speed then why not put it to the test? At moneysupermarket.com we now offer a broadband speed test service, which is completely free to use. All you need to do is click your mouse and we'll tell you your current download rate.
Broadband providers of course cleverly advertise their speeds as 'up to' a certain number of megabytes per second. In other words that's the absolute best their packages are capable of achieving - and only then in idealistic conditions.
Broadband speeds are affected by numerous factors including how close we are to an exchange, the quality of our wiring and so on. So in that regard it's not always the provider's fault that we're not getting what they advertise. However, that shouldn't stop us from doing something about it.
The first tip is to contact your current broadband provider. Explain the results of the speed test and ask them if they're willing to upgrade you. Chances are they'll be sympathetic and won't want to lose your business so as long as you're polite you should be able to secure a better deal.
If that fails however, then I suggest you enter your postcode into our broadband comparison tool and search for the cheapest deals in your area.
From here you'll have two options.
Firstly, you can settle for the speeds you're currently receiving but potentially pay less for the privilege by moving to a provider that offers a cheaper deal for the same download rates.
Alternatively, you can take out a deal with a provider offering a mega-fast broadband package - say 16Mb or more. That way even if you only receive half the advertised speed it should still be perfectly sufficient for downloading large files, such as movies.
Here are some of the fastest and most cost-efficient packages on the market:
- O2 Premium - Pick up speeds of 16Mb with unlimited downloads for just £10 a month if you are an existing O2 pay monthly customer (£15 a month if you do not have an O2 contract). Free wireless router included.
- 3-Mobile Broadband Lite - High-speed internet on the move via a USB dongle, meaning you can take it out of the house and still enjoy broadband speeds without having to be in range of a wireless router. More than 85% of the UK population are covered by its high-speed turbo network and the package range starts with the 3-Mobile Broadband Lite deal, which has a 1Gb download cap and is available for just £10 a month.
Later this year, Ofcom should issue a ruling on how broadband speeds are advertised - however, it's likely to be a slow process so why wait around? For a complete perspective of what's available use our broadband comparison tool now.
DISCLAIMER: Please note that any rates or deals mentioned in this article applied at the time of writing and may no longer be available/applicable today.
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