Rob Barnes, Head of Broadband and Mobile Phones
With an increasing number of people downloading music and games and watching television and films via the internet, download speed is becoming ever more important. Yet millions of people are paying for a fast internet connection and not getting it.
Broadband packages with speeds of up to 24 megabits (Mb) are now available yet moneysupermarket.com's first speed test found that the only people getting the speed they are paying for are those with 2Mb deals.
Users carried out more than 20,000 tests during May and June and found that the average download speed is just 2.97Mbs per second (Mbps). These results help to explain why a quarter of broadband users believe the broadband speed they receive doesn't meet their browsing habits.
Ofcom, the industry regulator, recently announced a voluntary code of conduct which 37 internet service providers have signed up for. It aims to give consumers a clearer understanding of the speeds they can get and ensure they're on an appropriate deal. While this is a step in the right direction, a lot more needs to be done if British consumers are to receive the speeds that are advertised.
Moneysupermarket.com will keep the pressure on providers to improve their offerings and repeat the speed test every quarter.
Which providers lead the pack?
The winner of moneysupermarket.com's first quarterly speed test is O2 for its 8Mb broadband package. Customers receive an average speed of 5.39Mbps. Sky and TalkTalk came second and third with average speeds of 3.59Mbps and 2.99Mbps, respectively.
O2 also came out top in the high-speed sector. Its 16Mb and 20Mb deals gave average speeds of 8.15Mbps. But this is less than impressive given the speeds that are advertised. Our speed tests revealed that consumers who have signed up for broadband packages offering speeds in excess of 16Mb are getting the worst value for money.
If you don't need super fast broadband access, 2Mb deals offer the best value. They cost an average of £10 a month, compared with £18.60 for the typical high speed package, and many customers are actually receiving faster download speeds than those advertised. The average speed among the 2Mb deals moneysupermarket.com tested, was 2.11Mbps - Sky customers are receiving speeds of up to 2.47Mbps.
Click here to test your broadband connection speed and see how it compares.
What speed do you need?
Before you decide on a broadband package, it's worth thinking about what you use it for and how often. There is no point paying for super fast broadband when all you do is browse occasionally, similarly if you do a lot of downloading a 2Mb deal will not be adequate.
If you download regularly or watch a lot of TV online, the minimum speed you will need is 8Mb. A lesser speed won't offer a very good viewing experience or download time. However, if all you use the internet for is browsing and emailing, a 2Mbps connection will be fast enough for you. Online gamers and heavy downloaders should look to get the fastest speed they can.
As well as looking at the speed of your broadband it's also important to check download caps. While most packages now offer unlimited downloads, there are still some that impose download limits. Talk Talk has a 40 gigabyte (GB) download cap on all of its packages, which would be quite substantial for the occasional downloader. However, AOL only offers a 10GB limit, BT option 1 a 5GB limit, and Plusnet option 1 a 1GB limit. When you bear in mind it takes 600Mb (more than half a GB) to download an episode of Top Gear, and over 1GB to download a music concert, your download allowance could be used up very quickly. However, if you use sites such as BBC iPlayer to stream rather than download material, you won't be using up any of your download allowance.
Have your say: Are you unhappy with the broadband speed you are getting, or perhaps you've been charged for exceeding your download allowance? Whatever your experience, why not visit our forum and share it with other members?
Disclaimer: Please note that any rates or deals mentioned in this article were available at the time of writing.
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