Wanadoo rapped by watchdog over broadband
16 August 2004
The Advertising Standards Association (ASA) has ruled against internet provider Wanadoo in a debate over what constitutes broadband.
The UK's advertising watchdog decided that Wanadoo could not use the phrase "full speed" in ads for its 512Kbps service, ruling that the wording of the ads misled customers into thinking it was the fastest internet connection available.
Wanadoo, owned by France Telecom, has announced that it has agreed to pull the phrase "full speed" from adverts. Rival broadband providers BT Group and Telewest, which both offer faster broadband services, lodged a complaint against Wanadoo with the ASA.
Wanadoo disputed the challenge, insisting that 512Kbps was widely accepted as the starting speed for broadband and accused its rivals of promoting services with speeds of 150kbps or 256kbps as broadband.
As telecoms companies upgrade their networks, the speed of connection has speeded up considerably and the UK's broadband market is becoming increasingly competitive. The term broadband has been used by firms to cover a range of connection speeds.
There is still no accepted definition for broadband in Britain. Jupiter research analyst, Ian Fogg, told BBC News Online: "The only common theme is that it is much faster than dial-up. Broadband is a useful term to differentiate between a slow speed service, which is intermittent, frustrating to use and isn't always on."
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