MedUX recently published its 2024 benchmark report on fixed broadband performance across the UK. This report reveals that BT not only excels in fixed broadband network responsiveness but also offers the best overall Quality of Experience (QoE) in the country, with a score of 4.59 out of 5.
MedUX used an independently developed scorecard to assess the performance of operators BT, Sky, and Vodafone, covering various benchmarks crucial to fixed broadband service quality and end-user experience. The benchmarking report provides an in-depth analysis of scores measuring a combination of service reliability, speed compliance, accessibility, throughput, streaming, data, and OTT (over-the-top) experience results.
According to the report, BT achieved the most consistent experience with 99.88% service reliability. The operator underwent more than 900,000 tests on its network, revealing that customers benefit from the best Data and OTT experience, along with excellent network responsiveness when using digital services, resulting in the finest user experience. The research indicates that BT’s FTTC (Fibre-to-the-Cabinet) customers enjoy the highest average download speed, reaching 60 Mbps.
Additionally, BT demonstrated superior performance in web browsing (99.92% success rate), gaming (99.78% success rate), and streaming (99.99% success rate). This steady performance was observed throughout the three-month research period.
MedUX’s extended research at a European level shows that BT provides the best experience compared to similar ISPs in countries such as Italy and Greece, which predominantly utilise FTTC technology.
However, BT did not lead in all metrics within the UK study. For instance, Vodafone was identified as the internet service provider most likely to meet its service promises, with an average ratio of effective download speed versus advertised speed of 86%, a commendable mark compared to the European average of 72% for similar ISPs. With less than a 0.5% difference in scores, Vodafone and BT jointly lead in network responsiveness and streaming experience. Sky ranks second in terms of overall reliability and performance, particularly excelling in social media services with a 99.88% success rate.
UK lagging behind European xountries
Despite these encouraging results, MedUX’s reports on other European countries show that the performance of the predominant technology in the UK, FTTC (VDSL), and the most common ISP packages in the UK, with speeds between 30 and 100 Mbps, are trailing behind European leaders. FTTC packages offer a poorer experience (up to 15%) compared to FTTH (Fibre-to-the-Home, or full fibre) packages in leading countries such as Spain, Portugal, Sweden, France, Romania, and Iceland.
The UK leads Europe in terms of growth in full fibre deployment, according to statistics from the FTTH Council Europe, but, along with Germany and Italy, it still lags behind many European economies in terms of coverage and subscribers (penetration). Fibre investments in the UK will be crucial in providing an optimised and future-proof QoE and in competing effectively in the market.
MedUX’s effort to benchmark fixed broadband quality of experience across Europe, and its preliminary research on the UK’s FTTH full-fibre broadband packages with downlink headline speeds of 500 and 900 Mbps, show promising results comparable to European counterparts. The company expects this technology to bring significant benefits to end-users in the UK.
“We’re pleased to be providing another first of its kind study on UK connectivity. This report builds upon the momentum from our UK and European-wide 5G quality of experience (QoE) reports, and the recently released Italian fixed broadband QoE study,” said Rafael González CMO at MedUX. “It showcases the breadth of our benchmarking capabilities – providing unique insights into the state of European connectivity. As operators, regulators and industry bodies continue to have pivotal conversations on the state of connectivity, we look forward to seeing insights from our reports being used so networks can be optimised, improving the overall experience for end users.”
The report can be viewed here.
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