Consumers not getting internet speeds they are paying for – EC study

26 Jun 2013

Europeans consumers are not getting the broadband download speeds they pay for. On average, they receive only 74pc of the advertised headline speed they have paid for, a new European Commission (EC) study on fixed broadband performance suggests.

This is slightly lower in Ireland, where actual download speeds between cable and xDSL technologies achieve only 73pc of those advertised speeds.

“This is the first time the difference between advertised and actual broadband speeds is confirmed by comparable and reliable data from all EU member states,” said Neelie Kroes, vice-president of the EC with responsibility for the Digital Agenda.

Kroes added that there are significant differences in the European national markets, most likely due to advertising practices.

“Consumers need more of this sort of data to help make informed choices, so we will repeat the exercise. And we take these first results as further proof of the need for a real connected single market,” said Kroes.

The study found that cable has the most reliable download speeds across Europe but cable technologies came out worst of all the EU countries surveyed in Ireland.

In terms of the European average, xDSL-based services achieved just over 60pc of the advertised headline download speed, compared to more than 90pc for cable and more than 80pc for FTTx.

In Ireland, while xDSL-based services achieve close to the European average, actual download speeds for cable achieved only 84.7pc of the headline figures advertised.

Tina Costanza was a journalist and sub-editor at Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com