Mobile broadband speeds rated

Mobile broadband providers should not follow the lead of fixed-line ISPs and advertise connection speeds that are not achievable. That's according to comparison service Broadband Expert, which ranked the speeds offered by mobile broadband providers in a recent survey. It found that the average speed of a mobile broadband connection was 1.46Mbps. Vodafone customers averaged 2.3Mbps, though some were on deals which advertised speeds as high as 7.2Mbps. "With mobile broadband, speed shouldn't necessarily be the main focus when choosing a product," said Broadband Expert technical director William Harvey. "But, mobile broadband providers must not follow the lead of home broadband services and advertise speeds that are largely unachievable," Harvey continued. T-Mobile customers got an average speed of 1.1Mbps and 3's customers got 1Mbps on average. The survey was carried out between February and March 2008, and tested 1,213 mobile broadband connections. www.broadband-expert.co.uk