27th May 11
O2 tops broadband study
by Harry Oldfield
Speed of light: O2 found to have quicker broadband than competitors
Speed of light: O2 found to have quicker broadband than competitors
Mobile broadband which O2 provides lmost web pages faster than other UK networks, according to research by Ofcom.
The regulator took 4.2 million speed tests around the country. It discovered that the average download speed, taking all networks into account, was 1.5 megabits a second (Mbps) rising to 2.1 Mbps per second in areas with better coverage. The report revealed that speed varied enormously depending on location, and that customers should chech coverage prior to signing up to tariffs.
The research showed that Orange came bottom of the pile with average download speeds which were slower than all the other networks. T-Moblie came out slower than 3, O2 and Vodafone. Everything Everywhere – the name which was given to the partnership between Orange and T-Mobile – declined to comment on the findings byOfcom.
The chief technology officer of O2 Derek McManus said that their customers are benefitting from the massive investment which the company made in its network. He went on to say that they always try to ensure their customers have the best network experience and these results highlight that they are being successful in their attempts.
The report, which was carried out together with monitoring specialist Epitiro, took place last year between September and December and dealt with dongles and datacards, but not smartphones. Ofcom revealed that it hopes to carry out tests on smartphones in the near future.
In addition to achieving success with download speeds, O2 also managed a lower average latency compared to Orange, Vodafone and 3. Latency is worked out by recording the time which a data packet takes to go from a user’s PC and back again via a third-party server.
Ed Richards, chief executive of Ofcom, said the research provides consumers with a clearer picture of how the mobile broadband datacards and dongle are performing as consumers use these particular services to compliment fixed-line services or occasionally as their primary means of accessing online services.
Research into consumers showed that 17 per cent of homes in the UK are currently using mobile broadband in order to access the internet. Seven per cent of these use itas their sole means of going online – a rise of four per cent since 2009.
The research found out that the average download speed was 1.5 Mbps, meaning the average time it took to load a “basic” webpage was 8.5 seconds. Ofcom found that this figure compared to the fixed line broadband’s average of 6.2 Mbit/s.
However, areas which had good 3G coverage, Ofcom discovered that the average mobile speed increased to 2.1 Mbps, falling to 1.7 Mbps at peak times between 8-9pm. In general, urban areas had better results than rural areas because of better 3G availability. However, the report highlighted that coverage in cities could be highly variable with good performance not being guaranteed in city centre location.
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