Ofcom demands action on broadband speed information: Guardian 22/04/08

[kennythecelt]

Ofcom demands action on broadband speed information | Business | guardian.co.uk

 

"Ofcom has threatened the UK's major internet service providers that it may be forced to impose a code of practice if they cannot thrash out a voluntary agreement.

Ofcom wants a code to give customers better information about the broadband speeds they can receive........................ "

[UK26]

I thank this is good as i dont like the idea of them saying you get upto (This speed)

 

The only provider who does actually keep up with the speed rates are Virgin Media. When i was with them i always got the full speed.

 

the reason this is its provided by cable and not over a phone line.

 

even so, things can be done to improve the speed people get.

[5layer]

Well there aiming at weeks for the results, there expecting a lot are'nt they?

 

We'll have to just wait and see.

[patdavies]

It is stated at "up to" because it is entirely dependant on the number of users on-line at any one time.

 

Even with Virgin cable, if there are several users on the same 'node', then none will be seeing the full 20 Mb/sec.

[robin9342]

I don't see what all the fuss is about. The ISPs are actually being truthful when they state "up to". Distance from the exchange and line quality will greatly affect the speed you actually get, as well as the cabling in your home. The ISPs have no control over these factors, or the internet as a whole.

 

BT have a checker where you can input your phone number and they will tell you the maximum BB speed you can expect.

 

There are some factors which the ISPs do have control over, but all will slow down during peak demand. Some handle this better than others and you can check out performance on review sites. Like most things though, its usually a case of you get what you pay for.

[Conniff]

But there is a limit that should be allowed for 'up to'.

 

If your paying for 20megs and only getting 50k, that is still up to 20, but what a con.

 

There should be a limit at which it cannot drop below ie; guaranteed minimum.

 

It's like prison sentences, what is the use of a maximum, it give the judge too much leeway, especially when it is some pop star or actor that is up before him. It should be a minimum.

[nicolee2931]

I think the main issue is bandwidth throttling, the upto statement is true to a degree as this is due to network contention ratios. However throttling is something entirely different, if you pay for a 20mbit connection then you should get what you are paying for, you don't pay money for something that is throttled just because your ISP thinks you are downloading too much. If you are a light user then you pay light user rates, if you are a heavy user then you pay top tier rates, and if the ISP decides you are on the wrong tier then the customer should be informed and asked to put their wrongs right. The real truth of the matter is all ISPs want to boast who has the fattest pipe, but don't want to invest money as they should. The fattest pipe comes at a cost, bandwidth throttling, as simply networks cannot cope with the speed increases. The main culprit being Virgin Media as they can give the speed they say they can give, any they know they will always be able to deliver faster speeds than their ASDL rivals mainly because how their network is built, but they don't wish to invest the cash on upgrading their backbone and their local UBRs.

[robin9342]

But there is a limit that should be allowed for 'up to'.

 

If your paying for 20megs and only getting 50k, that is still up to 20, but what a con.

 

There should be a limit at which it cannot drop below ie; guaranteed minimum.

 

I agree, but only in respect of the factors which the ISP can control. As I stated earlier, they have no control over line loss, which is the main technical factor affecting speed.

 

ISPs should be obliged to publish the performance figures for their networks, so that we can make an informed choice. However, in the meantime, sites such as thinkbroadband.com can be useful to compare.