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Ofcom: UK enjoying faster broadband speeds
Ofcom: UK enjoying faster broadband speeds
03 February 2012 15:44:08
Many Britons switched to faster broadband deals last year.
Home broadband speeds have increased by 22% over the past 12 months, according to new figures from regulator Ofcom.
The latest report on the performance of residential broadband reveals that the average actual UK broadband speed has risen from 6.2Mbit/s in November 2010 to 7.6Mbit/s in November 2011.
Ofcom said the increase was mainly due to a rise in the number of consumers choosing to compare broadband deals and switch to a higher-speed package.
However, the regulator observed than more than two-fifths of customers still have deals providing speeds of 10Mbit/s or less, despite the fact alternative packages would offer higher speeds for little or no extra cost.
"There is a real opportunity for consumers to look at the packages and deals in their area in order to receive the best value, speeds and performance available to them," said Ed Richards, the regulator's chief executive.
Adam Scorer, director of policy and external affairs at Consumer Focus, welcomed the improvement in broadband speeds.
But he pointed out that there is still a "very clear gap" between the maximum speeds advertised by providers and the speeds people actually receive.
"We hope that new rules from the regulator coming into effect in April will tackle this and that enforcement action will be taken against any company which isn't upfront and honest," Mr Scorer added.
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