According to a report released by Ofcom early in 2012, the average speed of broadband in the UK has risen over the past year. Compared to 12 months ago, consumers in the UK are experiencing an average speed increase of 22%, with the average speed now at 7.6 mbps. The increase in speed is mainly due to customers upgrading their internet packages.

Ofcom also discovered that there is also a lot of scope for this figure to increase even more. Currently 40% of customers in the UK are on internet deals just 10 mbps, when they could upgrade to a faster connection for little or no cost.

The report also looked at internet service providers, with details being released of the average speeds offered by companies. It found that many of them were delivering speeds well below the advertised bandwidth. If you think your internet connection is running slower than the advertised speed, then you can check it online using an independent broadband speed test.

These online speed tests act like a broadband speed checker to carry out a couple of short checks on your connection and let you know how many mbps you’re running at. The first check is a download test. A file is sent to your computer from a remote server and the speed at which the download is completed is measured.

The second test measures your upload speed. The initial test is reversed and the file is sent from your computer to the remote server, the data from this is then used to determine how quickly your connection allows you to upload files. The whole process takes about a minute or less and is free.

If you find that your connection is slower than you thought it was, you should phone your internet service provider to see if they can help you out. You may also find improved connection speeds if you move your computer closer to the router. You should also password protect your network to minimise the number of people who are able to access it.

However, if you still find your network is slow and your service provider can’t help you, it might be worth changing supplier. The best place to start your search for a new service provider is an online comparison websites. By using these types of websites, you can quickly browse the best and cheapest deal available to you.