With its large-scale speed test finding that average broadband download speeds are still less than 50 percent of advertised headline speeds, Ofcom is seeking to stop the advertisement of unrealistic broadband speeds by internet service providers (ISPs).

The latest Ofcom research has revealed that most ISPs strategically advertise services as ‘up to’ a particular speed, like 20Mbps (megabits per second); but very few consumers actually end up getting these advertised headline speeds.

Statistically speaking, Ofcom tests found that only 14 percent customers on ‘up to’ 20Mbps services received speeds of more than 12Mbps, while the average speeds for nearly 58 percent of the customers was 6Mbps or less.

Noting that “there is a substantial gap between advertised speeds and the actual speeds people get in their homes,” Ofcom’s CEO Ed Richards told the BBC: “The chances of someone receiving the advertised headline speed are fairly remote. We would like to see clearer information provided to consumers which more accurately reflects the likely speeds they will actually receive.”

Recommending that ISPs should use Typical Speed Rates (TSR) to avoid confusing consumers, Ofcom has set guidelines for these speeds. It suggests that ADSL services - delivered over BT's copper wire network, and currently advertised as ‘up to’ 20Mbps - be changed to a TSR of between 3 and 9Mbps.