Internet companies need to provide better information to broadband subscribers about the speed of service they can expect, a watchdog said today.

Internet companies need to provide better information to broadband subscribers about the speed of service they can expect, a watchdog said today.

Ofcom said that while 60% of UK broadband customers signed up to deals advertising internet access of up to 8Mbit, the average speed they received was actually 3.6Mbits.

The regulator added that on average the internet speed available to consumers was 45% slower than the deals originally advertised by firms.

Access for one in five subscribers to the internet was less than 2Mbit, it said.

Ofcom described its 30-day study, which saw 7,000 tests at about 1,500 homes, as one of the most thorough undertaken into actual broadband speeds in the UK.

Ed Richards, its chief executive, said: "We want to see all internet service providers meet the needs of their customers by clearly explaining what speeds they should expect and by ensuring that their networks meet consumers' increasing demand for higher speed broadband.

"We have already seen the first steps towards next generation super-fast broadband in the UK and we expect further developments this year."