Which Wants Action On ISP Broadband Speed Advertising

Which has demanded that ISPs clean up their act when it comes to advertising broadband speeds.

The consumer watchdog is calling for the speeds mentioned in ads to more closely match the real-world performance of an internet connection for the majority of users, as part of the organisation’s “Give us broadband speed guaranteed” campaign.

Which noted that right now, ISPs are allowed to advertise the “up to” speed of a package as long as 10 per cent of customers can achieve that mentioned speed – and the watchdog doesn’t think this is a fair representation of what most punters can expect.

They certainly have a point, of course, and Which further notes that in a survey it found that only 12 per cent of punters were aware of the fact that advertised speeds represented the top 10 per cent of the broadband spectrum.

Only 5 per cent of those questioned felt that the manner in which ISPs currently advertise headline speeds is the “clearest way”. Which also found that a quarter of respondents would pick a different broadband deal if they had better, more accurate info on the relative speed of packages.

Speed was second only to price when it came to the factors balanced when choosing a broadband deal.

Which wants advertised speeds to show the level attained by the majority of customers, and for ISPs to actually state how many customers achieve the advertised speed.

Which executive director, Richard Lloyd, commented: “Internet connection is now an essential part of modern life so it beggars belief that providers can sell people short by advertising speeds that only 10 per cent of customers could receive.”

“We want advertising watchdogs to pull the plug on confusing adverts and ensure broadband providers show the speeds the majority of customers will actually get.”