Virgin Media to publish broadband speeds

Virgin Media has pledged to publish its typical broadband speeds every month, as it releases new research indicating that most people find broadband ads confusing.

According to an ICM survey commissioned by the cable operator, just 9% of respondents felt that broadband advertising is usually accurate, while 93% of people called on ISPs to only advertise the speeds received by the majority of their customers.

Most ISPs routinely advertise their broadband services with an 'up to' speed, which means the maximum speed that is possible on the connection.

In the survey, only 2% of respondents felt that 'up to' speeds were an accurate way to advertise broadband, while 94% wanted ISPs to advertise consistent information on speeds so that they can make informed choices.

Virgin Media has now thrown down the gauntlet to its rivals by backing a new approach to advertising broadband speeds.

Each month, the company will publish the typical average speeds its customers receive on the 10Mbps, 20Mbps and 50Mbps services. The results are available on the company's website in the Speed Honesty section.

"People are paying for faster and faster broadband but being ripped off by unscrupulous providers who can't deliver their promised speeds to even a single customer," said Virgin Media's executive director of broadband Jon James.

"A change in advertising is urgently needed to build consumer confidence in super-fast broadband and the industry more generally.

"In the meantime, I hope other ISPs will quickly follow Virgin Media's lead by disclosing their own monthly performance data so people can make an informed decision about how to spend their money."

In July, Ofcom highlighted a growing gap between the 'up to' speeds marketed by IPs and the actual speeds being delivered to customers.

The regulator found that the average broadband speed is now only 46% of the advertised rate, down from 56% a year ago.

The ASA and the Committee On Advertising Practice (CAP) are currently running an investigation into the advertising of broadband speeds on an 'up to' basis.

Ofcom has asked the ASA and CAP to review whether ISPs should only be permitted to advertise broadband speeds if at least some consumers are actually able to achieve them.

The watchdog also believes that all advertising of 'up to' speeds should include a "typical speed range" in a similar way to APR rates are used in financial services.