UPDATE RightMove Begin Showing Typical Broadband Speeds for UK Homes

RightMove, the popular online property sales database, has this week enhanced its existing service by showing “typical” broadband speeds at each of the 1 million+ UK homes listed on its website.

The service first began showing estimated copper based broadband ISP speeds in 2011 (here) but the new solution uses data from Point Topic to enhance its output.

However the information still appears to be broadly postcode based and this is not especially reliable for estimating the performance of particular lines in specific properties.

Bernard Phillips, Head of Consumer Platforms at Rightmove, said:

“We’re always looking at new ways to help home movers make the most informed decisions possible when choosing their next property, whether that’s providing information about local schools, transport links or broadband speeds. Our research tells us that home movers find it incredibly useful to know these things in advance and so we’re fascinated to see how they engage with the data from Point Topic.”

Oliver Johnson, CEO of Point Topic, said:

“Broadband is becoming one of the most important considerations for prospective buyers. We hope that having quick and easy access to this data will be a huge benefit to Rightmove’s users. Point Topic is very pleased to be partnering with Rightmove on this application.”

The enhanced service has been deployed as part of a two month trial and if it proves popular then RightMove have signalled that they’d be willing to adopt it as a permanent feature in January 2014.

UPDATE 29th October 2013

Added a comment from Hyperoptic.

Dana Tobak, MD of Fibre Optic ISP Hyperoptic, said:

“We welcome the news that leading property search portal Rightmove is making it significantly easier for residents to obtain accurate information on the broadband choices they have with the inclusion of Point Topic’s data. Broadband speed was recently acknowledged as a leading factor in property decisions, above off-street parking and local amenities, for home movers. As such, we believe that greater transparency will prevent consumers from being misled by providers, and enable them to make an informed decision.

Rightmove’s bold move serves as a clear wake-up call for landlords and freeholders regarding the growing importance of broadband speed to potential tenants and buyers, a trend which will no doubt continue.”