subject: How To Estimate Your Broadband Speed [print this page] Working out the broadband deals available in your area is fairly simple, it's working out how to estimate your broadband speed that's the tricky bit.
Don't worry, it's not just you.
A report published by Ofcom has shown that many customers are not being given the whole picture when purchasing a new broadband package.
According to Ofcom many are being given vague speed estimates by sales people with some customers not being told at all what type of speeds they can expect, even from the fastest broadband deals.
Suggestions have been made that Ofcoms current code of practice for internet service providers are not strict enough after a number of mystery shopper reports carried out by Ofcom showed that ISPs where not forthcoming with the internet speeds its potential customers may experience.
With only a few being given accurate information some have called for new mandatory guidelines to be introduced to ensure customers are given a truer picture of their potential broadband service.
Ofcom conducted 1,289 mystery shopper reports across the country putting to the test salespeople on the phones as well as the ISPs internet shops. The report discovered that 74 percent of mystery shoppers were not told that the actual speed is likely to be less than the maximum line speed.
This underlines the importance of asking for an estimated line speed when you sign up for broadband deals.
The shoppers testing telephone sales people discovered that 85 percent were given an estimated speed but nearly half had to prompt the salesperson for the estimate.
However, this isn't foolproof since all broadband providers use different methods to estimate average broadband speeds.
The series of mystery shopper reports where introduced after a previous investigation into broadband speeds showed that on average many where not reaching the speeds advertised.
The tests carried out on 10Mb packages showed that Virgin on average reached speeds of 8.7Mb whilst Tisicali was the worst performer with only 3.7Mb.
Incidentally, a Virgin 50mb review found that this was UK's fastest advertised broadband.
Until technology catches up with the advertised speeds Ofcom will have to keep a close eye on the providers otherwise more customers could be led down the garden path with false promises of download speeds.
So, to sum up, this is how to estimate your broadband speed before you buy.
First, ask your potential broadband provider what your estimated speed should be.
Second, check that their estimate is realistic by looking at your cable type and the nearest exchange.
Third, make sure that you have the resources needed to boost your broadband speed as much as possible (eg a high quality router).
