Home Broadband
Ofcom code of practice
O2 has signed up to the Ofcom Voluntary Code of Conduct on Broadband speeds, which came into effect on the 5th December 2008
Who Are Ofcom?
Ofcom are an independent organization which regulates the UK's broadcasting, telecommunications and wireless communications sectors.
The good news is that since we launched O2 Home Broadband we have already been taking steps to ensure that, you, our customers are provided with realistic expectations around speed, so a lot of the Ofcom obligations are things we already do.
What benefits will you see from the code?
- You will be given an estimated line speed at the time you make your O2 Home Broadband order rather than a broad "up to" range in which your eventual speed might fall.
- You will be moved to a more appropriate package (at no cost) if you are not getting the speed you expected when you joined.
- You will be told about any fair usage or traffic management/shaping policies and download limits
Managing broadband speed related problems
To find out what can affect your broadband speed and what you do to improve the speed of your O2 Home Broadband connection visit our help section at www.o2.co.uk/broadbandspeeds.
If you are experiencing any speed related issues that you can't solve using our help section, feel free to give us a call on 0800 230 02 02 02.
Usage limits and fair usage policies
Like every company offering broadband, we have a "Fair and Acceptable Usage Policy." It's there so that everyone knows the rules about using O2 Home Broadband, and can see what steps we would take if someone breaks them.
Please have a look at the "O2 Home Broadband Fair and Acceptable Usage Policy" which can be found on our Broadband terms page.
Fair speeds for everyone
The internet is busiest when more people are at home and online. This can slow it down for everyone. To stop that happening, we've introduced a traffic management policy for our Access package on O2 Home Broadband.
When the network is congested, we'll give first priority to those things most people want to do - like emailing, looking at websites, watching things on sites like BBC iPlayer or YouTube, or using programs like Skype or Messenger.
We'll give lower priority to peer to peer programs and newsgroup services. So you'll notice them running slower when our network gets busy. We've done this because some people use them to download large files (like films and TV shows) all day long. And that slows everything else down.
How traffic management works
- We'll do it at the busiest times.
- You can use any kind of program whenever you want. But peer to peer programs and newsgroup services will run slower when our network gets busy.
- Audio and video streaming (like BBC iPlayer and YouTube) will work as normal - or even faster than before.
- We won't limit your actual connection speed - only the speed of peer to peer programs and newsgroups.
Jargon Buster - Definitions of Speed
Headline speed - This is the speed that we use to advertise our packages.
Headline speeds are often called 'up to' speeds because they describe the range of speeds which you might get from your connection. Everyone's landline is capable of different speeds, so this helps us put you on the best package.
Sync or connection speed - Also referred to as 'access line' speed. It's the maximum bandwidth available. And it shows you the fastest speed that the connection between your O2 wireless box and the local BT exchange can reach.
Actual throughput speed - Also referred to as 'download speed'. Whereas 'sync' or 'connection' speed is the fastest you could possibly get, this is the actual download speed that you're getting at that time.
It depends on things like:
- How many people are using our network at the time
- Whether you're using a Wi-Fi connection or not
- How many people are on the website or server you are trying to send information to or receive information from.
More Information
For further information a full copy of the Code can be viewed on Ofcom's website
Check your
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