BT Infinity Dismissed in an Instant

BT's latest ad campaign which claimed it's new Infinity broadband service delivered "instant internet" has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority.

The ASA received four complaints about BT's claim that users would be able to: "Upload and share high quality photos and videos instantly; Download your favourite music instantly; Enjoy multiple websites and online content instantly; Stream HD movies and TV shows instantly."

Dismissed in an instant

The ASA ruled that BT's claims of high quality content such as photos and video being uploaded and downloaded instantly could not be backed up, despite the fact that the Infinity broadband service should offer faster speeds than other types of broadband.

Even on 'superfast' broadband connections downloads will still take some time to complete.

The ASA noted that "BT had provided a list of the times they believed it would take to complete the activities stated in the ad, using their fibre optic broadband."

"However, we also noted that we had not seen evidence that substantiated those times, or that showed what speeds could be achieved by customers using BTs fibre optic broadband, and that those speeds would be achievable by customers at times of high user demand and with non-optimal computer set-ups." Oopsie.

BT's 'superfast' broadband

BT's Infinity broadband package is based on fibre optic technology and it says it can deliver download speeds of 'up to 40Mb'.

However BT themselves admit that they expect most customers, "to receive an average speed of 20Mb to 30Mb."

Whilst BT Infinity can provide a very high speed broadband connection even at these speeds you would struggle to upload high quality photos, download MP3s or share HD video 'instantly'.

The upload speeds listed by BT Broadband for the Infinity consumer package is just 2Mb. This is not much faster than most current ADSL2+ services (up to 24Mb) and would certainly not allow the 'instant' upload of large files.

BT defended the broadband advert by saying consumers did not expect instant coffee or instant hair removal cream to be as such.

BT added that they believed the word "instant" did not mean the "complete absence of any delay or zero seconds".

Broadband adverts attacked again

The decision comes hot on the heels of a highly critical report published by Ofcom which highlighted the huge gap between broadband speeds advertised to consumers and those actually delivered.

Indeed Ofcom itself noted in a further recent analysis of UK broadband that the measured average speed of a UK connection is 5.2Mb, a far cry from the 8Mb, 24Mb and now 40Mb headline speeds that are plastered over billboards up and down the land.

Comments