mobileu.co.uk

Mobile broadband speeds not up to scratch

Mobile broadband customers in the UK are receiving speeds that are significantly less than those advertised by providers, new research suggests.

The study by comparison site Broadband Expert shows that, on average, mobile broadband providers are delivering just 24 per cent of advertised speeds.

In tests carried out on nearly 3,500 mobile broadband connections over six months, the average download speed was 1.1Mbs, in contrast to the average advertised maximum speed which was 4.5Mbs.

T-Mobile was found to be the slowest provider at 0.9Mbs – or 20 per cent of its advertised speed – while 3 achieved the highest percentage of advertised speeds with 1.2Mbs, or a third of the advertised maximum speed.

Rob Webber, the site's commercial director, thinks mobile broadband providers should add average speeds to their advertisements so customers can make a more informed choice.

"It is completely unreasonable for a provider to advertise unrealistically high speeds that the vast majority of customers will never receive," he remarked.

"Consumers who see mobile broadband advertised at such high speeds may see it as a realistic alternative to home broadband, whereas in truth it should be seen as a complementary technology."