EC: Consumers are not getting the internet speeds they are paying for

Newsroom 28/06/2013 | 10:51

Europeans consumers are not getting the broadband download speeds they pay for, according to the European Commission.

On average, consumers receive only 74 percent of the advertised headline speed they have paid for, according to a new European Commission study on fixed broadband performance carried out in March 2012 on a group of 9,104 participants.

“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,” says Neelie Kroes (in picture), the Commission’s vice- president.

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,” she added.

The study points out that cable has the most reliable download speeds. However, even though the European average is 74 percent, there is significant variation in the performance of different technologies. Thus, xDSL (digital subscriber line)- based services achieved only 63.3 percent of the advertised headline download speed, compared to 91.4 percent for cable and 84.4 percent for FTTx (fiber to the x).

In absolute terms, the average download speed across all countries and all technologies was 19.47 Mbps during peak hours.

FTTx services achieved the fastest speeds at 41.02Mbps. Romania is getting the advertised download speeds in the case of the FTTx technology.

Cable services achieved 33.10Mbps.

xDSL services lagged far behind at 7.2Mbps on average. “Whilst xDSL is almost ubiquitous, with Latvia, Romania, Belgium and Bulgaria not having large enough representative samples, it is also far more likely to deliver a lower percentage of advertised performance than cable or FTTx,” says the study.

The positive aspect was that upload speeds are closer to their advertised speeds.

Across Europe, the average upload speed was 6.20 Mbps, representing 88 percent of advertised upload speeds.

FTTx services achieved the highest speeds by far, at 19.8Mbps.

Cable and xDSL services achieved a modest 3.68Mbps and 0.69Mbps respectively.

 Otilia Haraga

 

BR Magazine | Latest Issue

Download PDF: Business Review Magazine March (II) 2024 Issue

The March (II) 2024 issue of Business Review Magazine is now available in digital format, featuring the main cover story titled “BAT DBS Romania Hub: A Vibrant New Office For An Employee-Centric
Newsroom | 27/03/2024 | 17:32
Advertisement Advertisement
Close ×

We use cookies for keeping our website reliable and secure, personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to analyse how our website is used.

Accept & continue