Although users want the service they receive to be of a higher quality, many of them don’t actually know much about their service. Around a third of users are not sure of the originally advertised speed of their broadband package – one of the most important things to consider when choosing a broadband service.

The survey showed the disparity between average advertised speeds and real life speeds as being nearly double, with the UK average speeds of 4.2 Mb a far cry from the average advertised connection of 8 Mbps.

The survey was conducted by broadband site uSwitch. Communication officer at the site, Jason Glynn stated: “The Government and providers need to step up a gear and set out a bold new blueprint for Britain’s future. Virgin Media and BT have already made strides in this direction – the question is whether other providers will be following suit and whether all customers will be able to benefit equally, regardless of where they live.”

The best way to avoid disappointment with your connection is research before you buy. ISPs can run speed tests on your line to check how fast your internet can go and 3G providers should be able to give you an estimate on the strength of the signal in your area.

There are also ways to receive the best out of the speed you already receive such as switching to a wired network rather than using a wireless router, which are prone to interference.

“Technology has raced ahead and people are able to access services online that could previously only be dreamt of,” said Glynn, “the only thing holding broadband Britain back is speed.”

If you are looking for a fast broadband connection, it may be that you can still go with a cheap broadband deal, however it would pay to compare your options first, to ensure you get the best deal for you.

The average speed from the test was actually under 1 Mbps, far slower than most ADSL connections and a far cry from the 7.2 Mbps advertised by some providers. While some providers only claim maximum speeds of 3.6 Mbps, the fastest agents in the study only managed a rather meagre 1.8 Mbps – less than the speed proposed by the government as the minimum for nationwide broadband access.

The data was collected by handset based application ‘Isposure’ and was used on over 1,300 handsets between December 2008 and May 2009, recording well over a million test results. On average, the application noted a 20% performance drop in speeds during peak times.

Although these speeds are disappointing, they aren’t unexpected. We’ve been advising consumers to be careful of maximum speed advertisements for some time and to be careful about selecting a provider which can offer them good coverage.

There is some good news for people on a mobile broadband deal though – the data suggested that mobile broadband speeds have risen by 11% since Christmas last year. However, the improvement was not equal across all of the providers in the study which included all the big names in mobile broadband including Orange, O2, 3, T-mobile and Vodaphone.

Sadly, data concerning the individual results of these companies has not been published – something that has become a trend in recent independent surveys in the sector.

Concluding their research, Espirito said that currently “No mobile broadband ISP equalled an equivalent ADSL fixed line service provider in terms of overall performance.”

While we hope mobile broadband speeds continue to increase, it would be nice to see the Advertising Standards Authority do something about adverts that are claiming speeds that are simply pipe dreams for most users of the service.

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If you are looking for a mobile broadband service, you would be well advised to compare your options, click here to compare various mobile broadband providers on one website.

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