NI has 'fastest broadband speeds'

[bealtine]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8172024.stm

Northern Ireland has the fastest average broadband speeds in the UK for people subscribing to 'up to' 8Mbps broadband packages, according to Ofcom.

The telecoms regulator found the average speed in NI was 4.1Mbps compared to a UK average of 3.9Mbps.

Ofcom said better average electrical line quality in NI than in the rest of the UK may be one factor.

However, it qualified its findings pointing to an error margin of up to 0.4Mbps in its research.

That means the average speed could be as low as 3.7Mbps or as high as 4.5Mbps

It also found that a lower proportion of homes in Northern Ireland have access to either cable broadband or local loop unbundled services.

This means that a larger proportion of Northern Ireland consumers are on 'up to' 8Mbps DSL services than in the rest of the UK.

We know that there are still parts of Northern Ireland, particularly rural areas, where speeds are much slower
Denis Wolinski
Ofcom

Therefore, a larger proportion of those with high access line speeds are taking 'up to' 8Mbps packages than is the case in the other places in the UK thereby increasing average speeds for 'up to' 8Mbps subscribers.

Ofcom's Northern Ireland director Denis Wolinski, said: "It is very encouraging that some people here are enjoying the fastest broadband speeds in the UK, but we know that there are still parts of Northern Ireland, particularly rural areas, where speeds are much slower.

"Ofcom will continue to encourage the rollout of better, faster broadband services across the whole of Northern Ireland."

Overall the research found that broadband users are not getting the speeds they are paying for.

Nearly one fifth of UK broadband customers on an 8Mbps connection actually receive less than 2Mbps, it found.

The research showed that less than 9% of users received more than 6Mbps.

However, the report shows that average connection speed across the UK is 4.1Mbps, up from 3.6Mbps in January.

The UK government would like everyone in the country to have access to broadband speeds of 2Mbps by 2012.

[watty]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/28/ofcom_speeds/

Yet again we see the need for more honesty and transparency in the Broadband & Mobile advertising.

1a) Advertising peak package speeds without explaining that at peak times contention will reduce it to about 1/2 or 1/3rd (Broadband).

1b) Advertising absolute best perfection condition Peak Sector Speed of mast as package speed, when sector average throughput can be 1/4 (sum of all users) and per user speed at same contention load as Broadband would be 1/80th the peak system speed. (Mobile). This is worst dishonesty of all.

2) Claiming "unlimited" when it isn't.

3) Claiming something is "Broadband" when it's not.

4) FUP or T&C that hide the Cap.

5) Claiming connections are "no contention" or "no sharing" when on the Backhaul this simply a lie.

6) Hiding or misrepresenting what happens when Cap is exceeded.

7) How is contract terminated?

8) Port blocked, traffic shaped or Proxy used making the connection more like an internal Office connection than Public Internet

9) Monitoring, deep packet inspection and retention of data Policies (Some ISPs have previous bad Phorm on that).

Our own Government is worst culprit.
Dishonest Advertising
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2055619459
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2055605768
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2055612244

Dishonesty of 24Mbps DSL advertising
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showp...40&postcount=8

The CAI and ASAI, ComReg and Government have no interest in fixing this as far as I can see, in some cases the reverse.

[watty]

It's not really an issue people having 3Mbps on DSL. That is at least a real Broadband service.

Speed, despite the headlines of the report, is NOT the issue. The issue is Mis-selling and implying it's 8Mbps without highlighting "typical" speeds or explaining Contention.

[thebman]

Isn't that the same problem we have here though?

Admittedly people seem to get max speed more often here but it is the same issue that speeds drop at peak times and people aren't expecting it as they are told when purchasing they are paying for 8Mbps but T&C apply.

Well the fact that your not paying for 8Mbps seems like it is a significant T&C almost like that is the service you are actually paying for so ads should be 8Mbps at 40:1 contention ratio with monthly cap of 40GB or whatever.

I'm sure ISP's argue people can't understand all that technical jargon but the reality is that is because the regulator has failed to explain these terms and the advertising regulator has refused to force them to use these terms when advertising.

It seems foolish to expect ISP's to be honest when their competitors are bending the truth so it is up to the regulator and in Britain and Ireland this is one area where the regulator is failing miserably.

Mobile services definitely need to explain what is going on with their networks at peak times. It has gotten to the point where they have a bad name among most people I speak to for the speeds they claim to offer vs service. At this stage it would probably be in their interest to get together and self-regulate. They are permanently damaging mobile midband solutions in Ireland for businesses that might actually use them by flooding them with people whose only alternative is dial up destroying the service they offer.

[bealtine]

Originally Posted by bealtine

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8172024.stm

Northern Ireland has the fastest average broadband speeds in the UK for people subscribing to 'up to' 8Mbps broadband packages, according to Ofcom.

The whole broadband thing made the front page of the Financial Times today:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/57142ecc-7...nclick_check=1

[Sponge Bob]

Over half of all eircom DSL customers get up to 1mbits because over half of all eircom customers subscribe to max 1 mbit packages .

We can safely say that the median ( not average) in Ireland is 1mbit but if Comreg throw in their preferred solution, 3g , that probably drops below 512k .

[watty]

Because of high speeds on HeaNet, Fibre, Cable. Magnet/Smart DSL and Metro
Rank Download _________ Rank ___ Upload
# 46.___4.17 Mb/s Ireland ### 48.___0.77 Mb/s Ireland

http://speedtest.net/global.php

Select Ireland

Top Retail ISPs in Ireland by speed
Casey, Crossan, UPC (all Cable)
Magnet (Fibre / LLU)

Net1 is tenth.

None of the DSL only or Mobile make the list

[watty]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8171984.stm

Doesn't explain about contention, but explians distance.

24Mbps DSL is fantasy for many people.

Lots of people in Ireland and UK paying for higher packages than the line can physically support apart from Contention.

Speed at 4am is likely best line speed
Speed at 8pm is likely contented speed.