Average mobile broadband speeds almost 1Mbps

The average speed of mobilebroadband connections in the UK is 0.9 megabits per second (Mbps), according to new research.

Epitiro, a broadband benchmarking company, carried out 1.4 million tests across the UK and found that nearly 25 per cent of mobilebroadband users get the top connection speed advertised by their internet service provider (ISP), allowing them to run VoIP solutions more effectively.

Of the 20 fastest ISPs on the list, the average connection speed still fell below 2Mbps, which the government intends to deliver to all homes by 2012.

Upload figures were generally higher, with mobile services offering much more competitive speeds when compared with their fixed-line counterparts.

In addition, the lowest data loss figure - known as packet loss and which affects VoIP solutions - was 0.1 per cent, while the average was 0.67 per cent.

All the major ISPs in the UK are under considerable pressure to invest in high-speed broadband networks and Virgin Media and BT are the most potent forces in the development of next-generation technology.