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European ISPs exaggerate their speeds

by on26 October 2015


But are cheaper and faster than the US

A new EU Commission survey shows that European ISPs don't deliver on the download speeds they advertise. While the US ISPs are a little more honest, the Europeans are cheaper and faster.

The new studies of broadband Internet access across Europe and the U.S. published by the European Commission so that European broadband Internet access providers advertised download speeds of 47.9 Mbps, but only delivered 38.19 Mbps. US providers delivered more or less what they advertised.

Operators using DSL, which accounts for seven out of 10 broadband connections in Europe, exaggerated the most, delivering only 63.3 percent of the advertised download speed. In the U.S., DSL operators delivered 92 percent of what they promised. Cable operators in Europe delivered 86.5 percent of the advertised speed, and fibre operators 83 percent.

The study looked at ISPs' performance in 2013 and 2014, and found that while download speeds were growing, their noses were also growing as their claims were getting wilder. Only with fibre technology were the engineers able to keep up with marketing departments claims.

However despite having less honest ISPs, Europe they all offered a better service than what could be found in the US. The services delivered in Europe are faster and, in many cases, cheaper, than in the Land of the Free.

At 8.27 Mbps, the average European DSL line was just ahead of the U.S. at 7.67 Mbps. Fibre speeds in Europe averaged 66.57 Mbps, compared to 41.35 Mbps. Europe's cable operators delivered the fastest performance of all, averaging 66.57 Mbps, comfortably ahead of the US with its 25.48 Mbps.

The EU researchers found that the cheapest available services in the 30-100 Mbps range were between 21 percent and 38 percent cheaper in the EU than in the US. The best deals on services promising over 100 Mbps were between 13 and 34 percent cheaper in the EU than in the US.

From next April, European ISPs will have to be more open about the minimum, normally available and maximum speeds they can expect, and make it easier for customers to cancel their contracts if those speeds are not delivered under European Commission rules.

Last modified on 26 October 2015
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