Broadband speed claims 'misleading'

Broadband speeds in the UK rarely match up to their advertised 'top speeds', according to a new survey by Computeractive magazine.

The poll saw 3,000 readers conducting over 100,000 speed tests on their high-speed ADSL broadband connections, with 62 per cent reporting that their connection routinely managed less than half of its advertised top speed.

Half of the UK's broadband users currently subscribe to an ADSL service that is supposed to run at speeds of between one and four megabits per seconds.

But that potential maximum speed can be adversely affected by a number of factors, including how far away the user is from the telephone exchange, how many other people are logged into the local network and whether the in-home wiring is of good quality.

"This problem has been building for a while with a growing gulf between what is advertised and what is delivered," Computeractive editor Paul Allen told the BBC.

And while many broadband users are currently oblivious of their sluggish connections, experts say the problem will become more apparent in the coming years as high-bandwidth activities such as VoIP telephony and online video services place a greater strain on the country's broadband infrastructure.