New research from British consumer organisation Which? has found that there is a huge gap between broadband speeds advertised by service providers and those actually achieved by users.

Research among Which? members found that services offered at 8Mbits/sec were actually operating on average at 2.7Mbits/sec with one user only achieving a paltry 0.09Mbits/sec in a speed test. The maximum achieved was just 6.7Mbits/sec - significantly lower than the speed advertised.

Although some users of slower 1Mbit and 2MBit services achieved those speeds in testing, the average speeds were 0.8Mbit and 1.3Mbit respectively.

The speed tests were conducted as part of a wider survey on satisfaction with internet providers which found that smaller providers such as Global, Waitrose and Zen came out on top compared to big names such as AOL, BT and Virgin Media which rated below average.

To date in the Republic, the debate about broadband has been around availability rather than quality of service and no comparable research has been conducted here to date. "I guarantee the results would be at least as bad if not worse, given the general state of broadband here compared to the UK," says Vern Kennedy, managing director of broadband provider Magnet.

Individual broadband users can test the speed of their connection at www.irishisptest.com.

Michele Neylon, managing director of hosting company Blacknight, which operates the site, says he established the speed test so that Irish users could get an accurate reflection of their service rather than relying on overseas tests which would skew the results.

"People presume that because they signed for a 3Mbit service they will get it, but there may be a variety of technical reasons why they don't," says Mr Neylon. These include having a clear line of sight to the nearest transmitter for wireless services or the distance to the nearest telephone exchange and quality of the copper line in the case of DSL broadband.

Mr Kennedy says that during the provision of broadband to Magnet's customers the actual speed achieved is input on the system before the order is closed and the customer is charged accordingly.

"I can put my hand on a stack of Bibles and say that if someone if being charged for a 4Mbit service from Magnet that's what they are getting," says Mr Kennedy. Mr Neylon says there has been a noticeable increase in judgments against Irish broadband providers by the Advertising Standards Authority.