This is mainly due to the competition  created in the Internet sector by the  regulatory measures of the UK government. The British Telecom has given an opportunity to smaller Internet Service Providers by separating their  wholesale and retail markets.
It is also to be brought out that the  broadband Internet access has also gone up by 40%  in 2007 as compared to 2006 figures. Now almost 8 in10 households go for broadband Internet access.

Based on the analysis of  eMarketer senior analyst Ben Macklin the broadband penetration would touch 76.8% by 2011, from the present condition of 47.1% during 2007.  He also observed that the country was
Lagging badly behind many of the international counterparts in terms of broadband penetration.  UK  has now become the leading user of broadband and has one of the most  competitive broadband markets in the world. The competitions have helped the  UK consumers  to select a favourable  broadband service in terms of  price, service provider and technology.

The highest  broadband usage has been found in London and south-west England (69%)while the lowest is in Northern Ireland, north-east England and Yorkshire in northern England (52%).

A survey has been carried out on the usage of broadband internet  by the British house holds on a random sample of about 1,800 adults, aged 16 and above. The survey indicates that men use the internet more than women in the usage ratio of 71:62.

Similarly the  younger generation is more attracted to the Internet as compared to the elders.  About 90 % of the people in the age group of 16 to 24  were found using the Internet  while the estimation was only 24% in the age group 65- plus.

The people generally use the Internet  for finding information about goods and services and also for sending Email messages. The Internet is also used for availing of services related to travel and accommodation.

Only recently their lines were fixed. His land line  phone is working now, but  still , Mr Mills is facing problems. He is unable to use the Internet or answer phone. His  digital cordless phone is still  not working. .

According to Mr Mills seven holes were dug in the road outside his house over the eight weeks in a bid to find the root of the problem. Soon, Mr Mills and his neighbour were left with no landline. It became an absolute nightmare.

Mr Mills, lives with his wife and now works part-time in Colchester. He has Post Office Home Phones that go through BT. It seams that the people from BT showed  little initiative in solving the problems in time.

Mr Mills said: “We had been told all sorts of different things. They came and dug another hole outside on Monday, but I wasn’t convinced they would ever find a fault there”.

The BT send people to dug holes on the road outside, then they go away. Then wait days for engineers to come,  without knowing when. After a long wait, again they dig the hole and say they cannot find the fault..

BT should not be allowed to get away with this service just because they have a monopoly. They should ensure proper service to the public.

 
About 300  connections  were critically tested. The advertised speed s of these  connections were 8Mbph. But the test results have confirmed that the average speeds were just 2.7Mbph. The maximum speeds reported was 6.7Mbph while the lowest was just 0.09Mbph.

 
This problem has been brought to the notice of ASA(Advertising Standards Authority) many times earlier. At rulings from the ASA have highlighted some of the contentious areas in advertising low cost  connection with high speed.

 
 It is also observed  that a significant number of people could not achieve the advertised connection speed due to their distance from their local exchange.

 
A spokesman for the Internet Service Providers’ Association had advised consumers not to choose a service by price alone. “Like anything, you get what you pay for. Customers should consider a range of features and specifications. Speed is just one indication of internet performance, good internet availability is another,” he says, adding that many reputable internet service providers will have a facility that enables customers to check speeds and availability.

 BT has indicated that that 8Mbps would be a rarity for users. The speed can never be achieved, because the distance of the user from the exchange is the main factor that decides the speed at the receiving end. There fore the advertisers should  make it clear that  it is unlikely  to obtain the advertised speed. This will help the users  at the time of buying the  services