According to the report subscribers to services that offer "up to 8 Mbps" actually receive a typical speed of 3.9 Mbps.
Michael Downs, service provider specialist at Telindus, the network integration specialist, comments:
“At the end of last year 50 of the UK's biggest ISPs signed a voluntary code of practice agreed with Ofcom, committing them to improve the information given to consumers about their broadband speeds. Seven months later, consumers are still not receiving the broadband speeds they are rightly demanding and paying for. ISPs are struggling with the current demand for capacity and need a smarter solution to divide bandwidth more proportionately, according to consumers' bandwidth consumption and generation of traffic.
"The public now regards broadband in the same way as utilities such as gas, water and electricity - it is simply expected no matter where you live in the UK. With broadband uptake getting closer to saturation point, ISPs will be fighting to retain customers not just over speed and cost, but the entire experience. Research by Telindus has revealed that customers are now looking for a more personalised internet service, with 38 per cent stating that they'd find dedicated bandwidth useful when visiting sites such as YouTube, BBC iPlayer, iTunes etc. More than a fifth (22 per cent) also said increased bandwidth for downloads at specific times on weekdays would be helpful."