Cable Forum - View Single Post - Virgin Media admits its basic broadband is slower than rival

Qtx · 13-10-2016, 12:33

Virgin Media admits its basic broadband is slower than rival but BT ad still lied

BT's cheapest offering is faster than VM and Sky but smaller players boast better speeds.

BT has been rapped on the knuckles by the UK's advertising regulator, following a complaint made by Virgin Media over misleading claims about broadband speeds in several of its rival's adverts.

As part of its gripe, Virgin Media had to admit that its own entry-level broadband speeds were slower than BT's.

During April, a series of BT ads on television, in print media, and online claimed that BT Infinity "now offers speeds of up to 52 Mbps—the fastest fibre speeds as standard." BT was able to offer 52Mbps due to a new 52Mbps service offered by Openreach since January 2016; other ISPs could also resell the same Openreach connections.

Each of the ads made comparisons either to Sky or Virgin Media broadband speeds, claiming BT offered faster speeds than the other firms' "standard" or "entry-level" packages. They also featured graphics of speedometers, demonstrating BT's supposed superiority over its competitors.

However, this assertion prompted a complaint from Virgin Media to the Advertising Standards Authority, in which the cable company argued that "the ads implied that BT’s up-to 52 Mbps service was the fastest maximum speed for a lowest-priced tier available in the UK." It said that the claim was misleading given that some smaller providers offered faster speeds at their lowest tiers.

Following an investigation, the ASA agreed by upholding Virgin Media's complaint. It acknowledged that BT did indeed offer entry-tier broadband speeds that were faster than Sky's or Virgin Media's, at 38Mbps and 50Mbps respectively, but that it did not offer the fastest package on the market.

Full story: http://arstechnica.co.uk/business/20...s-advertising/

13-10-2016, 12:33	#1
Qtx CF's Worst Nightmare Join Date: May 2012 Location: Probably outside the M25 Services: Sky Fibre Unlimited 40/10 Posts: 3,473	Virgin Media admits its basic broadband is slower than rival Virgin Media admits its basic broadband is slower than rival but BT ad still lied BT's cheapest offering is faster than VM and Sky but smaller players boast better speeds. BT has been rapped on the knuckles by the UK's advertising regulator, following a complaint made by Virgin Media over misleading claims about broadband speeds in several of its rival's adverts. As part of its gripe, Virgin Media had to admit that its own entry-level broadband speeds were slower than BT's. During April, a series of BT ads on television, in print media, and online claimed that BT Infinity "now offers speeds of up to 52 Mbps—the fastest fibre speeds as standard." BT was able to offer 52Mbps due to a new 52Mbps service offered by Openreach since January 2016; other ISPs could also resell the same Openreach connections. Each of the ads made comparisons either to Sky or Virgin Media broadband speeds, claiming BT offered faster speeds than the other firms' "standard" or "entry-level" packages. They also featured graphics of speedometers, demonstrating BT's supposed superiority over its competitors. However, this assertion prompted a complaint from Virgin Media to the Advertising Standards Authority, in which the cable company argued that "the ads implied that BT’s up-to 52 Mbps service was the fastest maximum speed for a lowest-priced tier available in the UK." It said that the claim was misleading given that some smaller providers offered faster speeds at their lowest tiers. Following an investigation, the ASA agreed by upholding Virgin Media's complaint. It acknowledged that BT did indeed offer entry-tier broadband speeds that were faster than Sky's or Virgin Media's, at 38Mbps and 50Mbps respectively, but that it did not offer the fastest package on the market. Full story: http://arstechnica.co.uk/business/20...s-advertising/