Comparison site Broadband Genie has revealed the results of its latest survey into UK Mobile Broadband speeds. It used data from 6,000 speedtests carried out during 2009 to conclude that the average speed is just over 1Mbps. Real performance increased by a meagre +0.2Mbps during last year, despite many advertised USB Modem (Dongle) speeds being ramped 'up to' 7.2Mbps.

The results mirror data from other independent tests conducted towards the end of last year, which found that the average Mobile Broadband speed per operator tended to fluctuate between 0.9Mbps and 1.3Mbps. This remains well below the speeds that most operators stick on their dongles and is thus deeply misleading for consumers.

The situation is not unlike that of fixed line broadband providers, where real world performance is often far slower than any advertised rates. Fixed ISPs got around that problem by offering "estimated" speeds for specific customer lines, which must be accepted before a user can complete their registration. This would not work with a roaming technology like Mobile Broadband.

Future Long Term Evolution ( LTE ) technology will make better use of local node capacity and improved performance, although LTE might initially also claim to offer speeds of up to and beyond 150Mbps. The potential for marketing to get out of control is huge, especially while the underlying problem of limited and expensive capacity versus low data revenues continues to persist.

Ironically Mobile Broadband is a perfectly acceptable service when it’s marketed correctly, such as for basic Internet usage. Presently the technology remains little more than a compliment to fixed line services rather than a true replacement.