Mobile broadband users ripped off over speed

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Brits are still being given a raw deal when it comes to mobile broadband speeds, with internet service providers (ISPs) delivering less than a quarter of advertised download speeds.

So claims research from comparison site Broadband Expert, which tested more than 3,000 mobile broadband connections between March and August, and found that the average speed was 1.1Mbps compared to a maximum speed of 4.5Mbps.

Although Vodafone had the fastest actual average speed of 1.3Mbps, it delivered the lowest percentage of the speed it advertised – just 18 per cent of the stated 7.2Mbps.

Speeds delivered across providers weren’t that much different. However, T-Mobile had the slowest average speed at 0.9Mbps, or 20 per cent of the advertised speed.

Delivering 33.3 per cent of an advertised 3.6Mbps speed, mobile provider 3 was the best of a bad bunch, offering the biggest percentage of its advertised speed.

“It is completely unreasonable for a provider to advertise unrealistically high speeds that the vast majority of customers will never receive,” said Rob Webber, Broadband Expert’s commercial director, in a statement.

“Advertising in this way will not help the long term growth of mobile broadband or the reputation of the providers if customers feel they are being misled,” he added.

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