WIREDGOV

Would you like to help take part in Ofcom’s pioneering broadband speed research?

Volunteers are needed for the project which last year provided consumers with the first real picture of UK internet speeds.

It confirmed that actual broadband speeds are significantly below the advertised headline speeds.

For instance, the average ‘up to’ headline speed in April 2009 was 7.1 Mbit/s.

Broadband speeds

But Ofcom found the average broadband speed was actually 4.1 megabits per second (Mbit/s).

Their research programme – which has so far involved over 60m separate service performance tests in over 1600 homes – is now being extended for the next two years.

They will be publishing their findings every six months and the next phase of their research will test some of the fastest advertised broadband packages on the market today.

Their technical partner in this research – SamKnows – is now looking for volunteers to join the project.

ISP network

SamKnows has developed a ‘White Box’ that sits in the consumer’s home, which does not monitor the home network or web traffic, but focuses solely on the relevant ISP’s network.

People who volunteer for this project will be given access to their own data so that they can track the performance of their broadband connection.

If you’re interested in joining Ofcom’s broadband speeds research, visit the SamKnows website to register your interest.

They have also put together a guide on what to consider when signing up for a broadband deal.

It explains how a range of factors such as price, availability and quality of customer service need to be considered when making your choice.