Mobile broadband fails to hit advertised speeds

 

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By Matthew Sparkes

Posted on 30 Apr 2008 at 10:42

Mobile broadband customers are not receiving the download speeds claimed by advertisers, according to a recent survey.

The average mobile broadband user receives download speeds of 1.46Mb/sec according to figures from Broadband Expert, just half that of the average home broadband user who receives speeds of around 3Mb/sec.

However, many suppliers claim far higher speeds are possible, such as Vodafone (7.2Mb/sec) and 3 (2.8Mb/sec).

"It is not surprising that mobile broadband is behind fixed line broadband as it's a comparatively new technology. But, mobile broadband providers must not follow the lead of home broadband services and advertise speeds that are largely unachievable," warns Broadband Expert technical director William Harvey.

Different suppliers varied in their average download rate, with Vodafone emerging as the leader with 2.3Mb/sec. T-Mobile customers received on average 1.1Mb/sec and 3 users achieved just 1Mb/sec.

The survey measured the download speeds of over 1,200 customers during February and March of this year, but Broadband Expert emphasised that speed is not the only priority when choosing a supplier.

"With mobile broadband, speed shouldn't necessarily be the main focus when choosing a product," explains Harvey. "Mobile broadband use tends to be business focused with email and web browsing the key activities. Speeds of 1-2Mb/sec are generally adequate for this type of activity."

"The most important factors to consider are network coverage linked to reliable service provision," he continues.

To help you choose a supplier PC Pro will be investigating mobile broadband in a forthcoming issue, looking at all five main suppliers in the UK and rating them on speed and reliability.