Ofcom reports upturn in average fibre broadband speeds

Average actual fibre optic broadband speeds climbed by almost a third in the six months to November 2012, new figures released by Ofcom have revealed.

From May to November, the typical fibre broadband connection saw a speed boost of 9.4Mbps or 30 per cent, taking average downstream rates to 41Mbps.

The Ofcom study considered different types of broadband service, with the biggest rise in performance seen for cable-based lines, which enjoyed a 58 per cent upturn to 28.3Mbps over the six-month period.

ADSL services, which are delivered via copper wires, also saw a rise in average speed to 6Mbps. However, this increase was far smaller at just 0.2Mbps, or three per cent.

Ofcom also claimed that BT's fibre optic broadband infrastructure was faced with relatively little congestion throughout the study period, with much higher levels of contention seen on Virgin Media's network.

"Internet providers are working to meet consumer demand through network upgrades," commented Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards.