Broadband advertising: Call for new code to cover mobile internet

In the UK, the industry is calling for a new code of practice for advertising broadband services to be extended to include mobile internet providers.

Over 30 fixed-line internet service providers have signed up to the voluntary code, announced a day ago by media regulator Ofcom. The code lays out terms under which companies agree to adhere to a set of common standards and practices, which are aimed at eliminating customer confusion that comes from broadband advertising.

Now, the industry is calling for this code to be extended to mobile internet providers as well, given the increasing adoption of mobile broadband services that allow computers to access high-speed internet services through 3G phone networks.

Media regulator Ofcom said that a rise in the number of complaints related to broadband speeds over the past year has been a cause for concern, which lead to the creation of the voluntary 'Code of Practice' which is being adopted by 37 internet service providers (ISPs), covering almost 90 per cent of the UK's broadband customers.

Mobile broadband services are the subject of heavy promotion by the mobile phone networks, which cite customer convenience as the primary reason for going wireless. Now, with many providers offering options to connect a laptop or home computer directly into the mobile phone system, the adoption of such services has shot up, allowing networks to use 3G bandwidth which they acquired at a cost of over £22 billion in licences.

The extension of the code of practice to mobile operators has been called for by the Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA), which represents fixed-line internet companies around the UK, to ''ensure minimal confusion to customers," said the association in a statement.