Ofcom 2021 Study – Median UK Broadband ISP Speeds Hit 50Mbps

Ofcom has published their annual study into UK fixed line home broadband ISP speeds, which reports that the average (median) download rate has risen from 50Mbps last year to just 50.4Mbps now (uploads are unchanged at 9.8Mbps). Meanwhile, the performance gap between urban and rural areas remains a problem.

The regulator’s study is based off data gathered during March 2021 via custom modified routers from SamKnows, which were installed in around 2,580 homes for a national sample. This method of testing is extremely accurate, but the limited sample size does limit their report to focusing on only the most common broadband technologies, packages and providers.

Crucially, Ofcom’s latest annual report has gone through a major change, which sees them using a “median” instead of a “mean” average to report speeds. For example, the UK’s average download rate of 50.4Mbps, which is a median figure, is now well below the 80Mbps (mean) that they previously reported in May 2021 (here). So it’s not that the UK has got slower, just that Ofcom’s methodology has changed.

“We believe this change more accurately reflects the experience of consumers, as median average values describe a base level of performance that at least half of consumers will experience whereas mean average performance is distorted by a comparatively small number of very fast connections,” said Ofcom.

We should also caveat that speed testing like this must not be directly equated to network availability. At present fixed line “superfast broadband” (24Mbps+) networks are available to 97%+ of the United Kingdom, which is mostly via hybrid fibre FTTC (Openreach VDSL2, G.fast), cable DOCSIS (Virgin Media) and FTTP technology from various operators.

Most of the UK – primarily in urban areas – are also within reach of “ultrafast” connections (Ofcom defines this as 300Mbps+), which are mainly delivered by Virgin Media’s network (they cover just over half of the country). However, the rapid roll-out of “full fibre” FTTP services is having a big impact (here) and now covers 24% of premises (up from 18% last September 2020).

Despite this, around 17% of the UK continues to take slower and less reliable copper ADSL lines, which can drag the overall results down. The take-up of faster connections is rising, but some people will always be discouraged by issues of cost (faster services tend to be more expensive), a lack of awareness and so forth.

Average Median Speeds (Ofcom)
➤ 2021 = 50.4Mbps (9.8Mbps)
➤ 2020 = 50Mbps (9.8Mbps)
➤ 2019 = 42.1Mbps (9.1Mbps)
➤ 2018 = 37Mbps (6Mbps)
➤ 2017 = 36Mbps (5Mbps)

Ofcom’s report also gives a split of real-world average performance by different connection technologies (see below), although this seems to exclude 1Gbps (gigabit) packages – probably due to lack of data. On this point we should remind readers that all sorts of things can affect performance, while connections that use copper wire (FTTC, G.fast, ADSL) are negatively impacted by signal attenuation over distance.

Likewise, ISPs can also suffer from network congestion, traffic management, service faults and poor home wiring, all of which can also have an impact upon the performance scores.

Sadly, there are still some parts of the UK where even so-called “superfast” connections have yet to reach (e.g. remote rural and digitally disadvantaged urban pockets). On the flip side, we continue to see a rapid roll-out of gigabit-capable networks in urban areas, which are naturally growing at a faster pace than sparse rural locations.

In other words, there’s still a clear disparity of performance between urban and rural areas. On this point Ofcom’s limited data only really considers the two most common rural broadband technologies (i.e. hybrid fibre FTTC and pure copper ADSL lines) – copper ADSL lines tend to be much longer and less reliable in rural locations than urban ones.

Otherwise, anybody who finds themselves suffering slow sub-10Mbps speeds should perhaps consider the new Universal Service Obligation (USO), which sets a minimum download speed of at least 10Mbps for all and is available “upon request” (i.e. not an automatic upgrade). One caveat though is that BT appear to be predominantly handing out 4G devices to tackle this, which won’t work for everybody, but you can complain if it doesn’t deliver.

The Government is also investing £5bn via Project Gigabit to ensure that “gigabit-capable” (1Gbps+) broadband services reach at least 85% of UK premises by the end of 2025, albeit with the money itself only being invested to improve connectivity in the hardest to reach final 20% of premises (rural and semi-rural areas). In theory this could help to tackle concerns over the rural vs urban divide but, assuming that’s even achievable, it will still take a fair few years to complete.

Performance by ISP

Ofcom’s study also includes a brief breakdown of performance by specific broadband ISPs, which produces some interesting results for the biggest providers, but is only available in full detail via their restrictive interactive reports. However, they do provide a general summary.

We also get some indication of connection latency between different packages and technologies, which measures the responsiveness of networks – the delay (milliseconds) between a connection requesting an action and that action taking place. For example, fast-paced multiplayer video games often desire latency times below around 80ms for smooth play.

As expected, the slowest latency times come from ADSL lines on around 21-23ms, which is still fine. But there’s no escaping just how quick a full fibre (FTTP) service can be. The fact that Virgin Media has yet to adopt the DOCSIS 3.1 upgrade on their upstream channels may also be showing through here, since they struggle to beat even FTTC (VDSL2) for latency.

Tackling Speed Problems

Speeds do sometimes fall well below estimates and in those situations then it helps to be aware of Ofcom’s Voluntary Code of Practice for Broadband Speeds, which requires member ISPs to provide reliable estimates of connection performance during the order process and to also help resolve problems when they arise.

The latest code (details) provides more information during sign-up and strengthens the right-to-exit when speeds fall below the guaranteed minimum level. Providers are now given one month to resolve the problem and if they fail then customers can walk away, penalty-free (the right to exit also applies to contracts that include phone and TV services purchased with broadband in a bundle).

Take note that this code also includes Cable (e.g. Virgin Media) and FTTP providers, although the minimum guaranteed speed level for such ISPs is measured differently because these services aren’t affected by the same performance issues as other technologies. Instead, the minimum guaranteed download speed will be at least 50% of the advertised speed of the package, rather than 10% for other connection types.

The code remains voluntary, which is understandable since many smaller ISPs find that the costs involved with adapting to Ofcom’s latest rules can be too high (i.e. most won’t sign-up).

Ofcom Fixed Home Broadband Speeds Report 2021
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/home-broadband-performance-2021