The latest consumer survey of 11,000 people by YouGov for uSwitch has estimated that 28% (4.2m) of UK broadband users are not satisfied with their broadband speeds. The standard advertised speed for broadband is still 8Mbps, yet the average actually experienced is apparently closer to 4Mbps.

Curiously the survey claims that 8% of those subscribing to an "up to 8Mbps" service confirm that they actually receive the full 8Mbps. However, unless you live physically inside your ISP, it's more likely that this is referring to a figure in the 7 to 8Mbps range (though some unbundled ADSL2+ or cable based products can achieve it).

However, connection reliability remained one of the most important factors for 60% of broadband users when choosing an ISP, followed by speed (58%), value for money (54%), customer service (12%) and technical support (12%).

There has also been a noticeable increase in demand for services that make use of faster broadband speeds. Roughly one in three (30%) now watch TV or video over the Internet, with IPTV services, such as the BBC's iPlayer and the YouTube website, being among the most popular.

By comparison, ITIF's broadband rankings (news) show that Japan boasts an average connection speed of 64Mbps, Korea closely follows with 50Mbps and even the French enjoy an average speed of 18Mbps. There’s clearly a demand for faster and more reliable services. Newer ADSL2+ (up to 24Mbps) products may fill some of the gap, though it will take a new fibre infrastructure to truly begin solving this countries problems.