Ofcom wants to ban misleading broadband speed ads

Ofcom is seeking to stop internet service providers from advertising unrealistic broadband speeds.

Currently most ISPs advertise services as 'up to' a certain speed - for instance, 20Mbps (megabits per second).

But Ofcom's latest research finds that very few consumers actually get these headline speeds.

"There is a substantial gap between advertised speeds and the actual speeds people get in their homes," Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards told the BBC.

"The chances of someone receiving the advertised headline speed are fairly remote," he said.

"We would like to see clearer information provided to consumers which more accurately reflects the likely speeds they will actually receive," he added.

Ofcom's latest research into broadband speeds found that just 14% of customers on 'up to' 20Mbps services received speeds of over 12Mbps, while 58% averaged speeds of 6Mbps or less.

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