Average UK broadband speeds are lower than advertised.

Telecoms regulator Ofcom has discovered the truth about broadband connection speeds in a nationwide study.

The new research reveals that UK consumers receive an average broadband speed of 3.6Mbps (megabits per second). The average maximum possible speed is 4.3Mbps.

The watchdog describes the research, based on ten million tests in 1,500 homes over a 30 day period, as “one of the most sophisticated and thorough research programmes undertaken into the real broadband speeds experienced by UK consumers.”

Although the average speed of 3.6Mbps is sufficient to run most internet applications, it is significantly below the advertised speeds.

60% of UK broadband consumers subscribe to ‘up to 8Mbps’ packages. On average, these consumers receive 45% of the advertised speed and one in five subscriptions only achieves a broadband speed of less than 2Mbps.

Last month Ofcom introduced a new code which demanded that all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) provide an accurate estimate of the maximum speed they can expect when signing up to a service.

Ofcom Chief Executive Ed Richards issued a warning to ISPs for the future.

“We want to see all Internet Service Providers meet the needs of their customers by clearly explaining what speeds they should expect and by ensuring that their networks meet consumers’ increasing demand for high speed broadband,” he said.

The research also reports that broadband speed is partially dependant on distance from the local BT exchange. On average, consumers living in urban areas receive broadband speeds that are 15% faster than those living in rural areas.

Furthermore, broadband speeds can vary by time of day due to levels of internet traffic. Speeds were slowest between 5pm and 6pm on Sundays, when internet usage is at its highest.

The study also serves to highlight customer satisfaction with broadband services. Most consumers surveyed are “reasonably happy with their broadband speed”. Only 9% expressed a level of dissatisfaction, with speed being the main concern.

The level of satisfaction is significantly lower among those who use internet applications that require faster speeds. Only 67% of those who use the internet to stream or download television programmes were satisfied with their connection speed.

There is also a higher incidence of dissatisfaction among rural users in comparison to urban users.

The next Ofcom report into broadband speeds is expected in the spring.