Guardian

research finds users with black patches, exposed copper lines and having to move home to keep the companies afloat

Aa broadband customers

British are paying for services that are more than 40% slower than advertising, a Guardian investigation has found, with thousands who complain of being cheated by their providers Internet services.

In just three days, over 3,000 readers participated in the online broadband speed test The Guardian. Generalized differences were observed between the speeds promised and those delivered.

customers pay an average of 12 megabits per second, but actually receives 7 Mbps, a difference of 42%.

Aa Players complained

black spots broadband in urban centers, the copper lines are not exposed to the weather and having to move the business outside the home because of bad connections.

"If you buy a dozen apples and you have three, would not have endured," said Hugh Colvin, an organizer of art that lives on the border with Wales and leases two phone lines for more than one family member can use the Internet at a time. "It is outrageous that I pay the same as someone who is in central London, receiving 10 times the speed . "

The survey, part of the vision of Broadband Britain campaign to improve infrastructure in The Guardian online, found that TalkTalk and Sky customers reported a deficit of 60%, the biggest difference between the median and actual services advertised. TalkTalk subscribers who promised an average speed of 8 Mbps, but received 5 Mbps, and Sky customers had promised an average of 12Mbps and 4.8Mbps received.

customers of Virgin has reported a deficit of 41% - that promised 30Mbps but received 17.7Mbps. BT customers did better, the payment of 8 Mbps, and receive a quarter less than 6 Mbps. The difference was 27% of the budget for the service from BT, Plusnet.

Since advertising rules changed in April, the ISPs can not claim "to" speed if at least 10% of users receive. The threshold has been criticized for being too low, even for business broadband and away from general advertising to offer different rates for each customer.

TalkTalk says its ads refer to average speeds, and everyone is an individual appointment before signing. A spokesman said: "No one enters into a contract with us without an estimate of speed for them."

A spokesman for Virgin Media, said: "Virgin Media has long argued for greater clarity in advertising and broadband, while changes in April were long, but the ISP Welcome, we have seen continue to hide behind generic terms or capture of all claims. We are committed to continue leading the industry, which is why we do not advertise speeds that our customers can reasonably s' actually expect to receive. independent and thorough investigation of Ofcom shows us consistently deliver what we say, our 30Mb service actually provide nearly 31 MB on average. This does not mean that we are satisfied. continue to offer the fastest in the United Kingdom of broadband are widely available and in the process to increase the speed for our customers with improved replication and the introduction of 120Mb media. Virgin now offers super-series broadband to millions of homes in UK and we have increased expectations of what consumers deserve from your ISP. "

BT, that the copper network is used by every major telecommunications retailers in the UK fell £ 2.5 billion to improve service by installing fiber optic cables in the foreign exchange dealers streets. Its goal is to reach two thirds of the UK in 2014 and the end, with the help of taxpayers, 90% of households by 2017.
Those fiber optic cables to the cabinet in the street could get speeds up to 76Mbps, but experts say that the service may not be reliable for further properties of telephone exchanges, because they are based on copper wiring for last mile.

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