The UK’s average broadband speed is still less than half of the average advertised "up to" speed, according to new broadband figures released by Cable.co.uk.
Research by broadband comparison site Cable.co.uk showed the average broadband download speed in March 2012 was 7.9Mbps, against the average advertised up to speed of 18.5Mbps.
Cable.co.uk owner Paul France said the company’s speed test results indicate there’s still a disparity between advertised broadband speeds and actual speeds consumers are reporting.
"Even with the new advertising guidelines in place consumers could still be disappointed or feel misled by advertised ‘up to’ speeds when in reality their actual speeds fall short of what they were expecting," added France.
"Our advice to consumers is to ignore advertised up to speeds and check their line speed on a website like Cable.co.uk, or with the providers directly."
ADSL, the UK’s most widely used broadband running on the existing telephone network, reported 6.3Mbps, 41.7% of the advertised 15.1Mbps, though fibre optic broadband came closest with an average of 17.6Mbps, 50% of the 35.2Mbps advertised.
The figures revealed mobile broadband had a 2.4Mbps download speed, a mere 19.3% of the 12.4Mbps advertised.
The company cited new guidelines published by CAP/BCAP on 1 April 2012 which requires UK providers to use more realistic up to figures in their broadband advertising.
