The survey found that for DSL services advertised as being "up to" 20Mbps, only 2% of customers got speeds in the range of 14-20Mbps. Of the others, 32% were getting a 8-14Mbps service and 65%, 8Mbps or less.

So what are the factors that determine how slow your fast service will actually be?

Line length

With DSL services which run on the old copper wire telephone network (basically any service other than Virgin Media) the signal strength of a line is determined ultimately by physics.

"If you stand and shout at someone from 50 metres you will be heard better than from 100 metres," said Sebastien Lahtinen, co-founder of broadband news site ThinkBroadband.

It means that one of the biggest factors for those signed up to DSL packages is how far they live from a telephone exchange.

Ofcom estimates that the average "as-the-crow-flies" distance between user and the telephone exchange in their survey was 2.4km (1.49 miles) but anyone getting out their measuring sticks be warned: the physical distance you live from the exchange does not necessarily equate to the length of your telephone line.

"Telephone wires don't necessarily follow the obvious path and line distance may be significantly longer," said Mr Lahtinen.

So for instance in the Isle of Dogs, where a straight line from homes to exchange is 3km (1.8 miles), the line distance is actually 7km (4.3 miles).

Rush-hour

Another factor determining how fast your broadband speed will be is the time of day you surf. At peak times of the day there will be more people using the service which will make it slower for everyone.

For customers of Virgin Media's cable service, this rush-hour network congestion is the biggest factor.

"Differences between actual and advertised speeds on cable is almost entirely due to congestion because the cable that goes down the street is shared by everyone on it," said Ian Fogg, a senior analyst with research firm Forrester.

According to Ofcom, actual speeds at peak times for those using Virgin's 20Mbps service tended to be closer to 15.7Mbps.

At peak time someone using its 50Mbps service may see speeds fall to around 35Mbps. By contrast those able to stay awake until 4am will enjoy speeds close to the maximum - at 45Mbps.

New cabinets

For DSL providers, congestion is also an issue with some providers performing better than others.

While O2 does relatively well at peak times, others such as Orange and PlusNet are below average, according to Ofcom's figures.

"It's down to the nuts and blots of how a provider runs it network. Put in layman's terms it is about how big the pipes are between the ISP's network and other points on the net," said Mr Fogg.

Next-generation services, in the form of Fibre-to-the-Cabinet, which BT is rolling out to around two-thirds of homes in the UK could improve things.

Fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) replaces copper wiring between the telephone exchange and the green cabinets that house the wires at street level with faster fibre optic cables. The rest of the connection, between the green cabinet and the home would be provided by the latest generation of broadband telephone line (DSL), known as VDSL2.

"FTTC will dramatically improve the line length issue and a key factor in this will be the number of new street cabinets they build. This will depend on the level of investment they put in it," said Mr Fogg.

As speeds get faster, the distance between advertised and actual speeds will become less of an issue, thinks Mr Lahtinen.

"If you are on 100Mbps it doesn't really matter if you only get 50Mbps because that is still going to be enough for what you need," he said. Congestion on the network and the internet will still be an issue but other factors will become more important.

As more and more people use so-called cloud computing to store their data in the network, upload speeds will become increasingly crucial.

"Upload speeds haven't been the focus of Ofcom's research but they go up to around 2.5Mbps which could be a problem if you have a lot of photos to upload," said Mr Lahtinen.

As speeds get faster, more focus will be put on the quality of a connection as people demand the best performance from voice and video services, he said.

Some factors determining the speed of your connection are closer to home, such as the wiring in a customer's house and the speed of their computer.

BT offers some practical help when it comes to wiring problems, with a device known as a broadband accelerator available free to BT Retail customers.

Formerly known as the iPlate, the broadband accelerator is a device which can be fitted into a main telephone socket to filter out interference. To date BT has sent over 140,000 accelerators to customers.

It shows there are things that individuals can do to improve their speeds but the bigger picture is that broadband speeds in the UK remain in the slow lane.

"Speeds have changed very little and for the UK to enjoy dramatic improvements there needs to be investment in fibre," said Mr Fogg.

As that investment gets under way, people lucky enough to be near a spanking new green box may have cause for celebration but broadband in the short-term remains something of a postcode lottery.

Sky+HD viewers with a 3D ready TV will be able to access the service, which requires 3D glasses to be worn.

HBO deal

It will be compatible with a number of 3D enabled sets from manufacturers including Sony, Samsung, LG and Panasonic.

Other 3D Hollywood films will be screened in the run-up to Christmas, including Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Sky has said that, alongside a range of sporting events, including the Premier League, a range of 3D arts and entertainments shows would be announced closer to the launch date.

Meanwhile, Sky has struck an agreement with US cable channel HBO to broadcast its programmes in the UK.

Dramas including Luck, starring Dustin Hoffman, will be aired on Sky in the coming months.

The broadcaster has also secured the rights to HBO's back catalogue, which will be accessible on their on-demand services.

The programme-maker's past shows include The Sopranos and Six Feet Under.

Sophie Turner Laing, Sky's director of entertainment and news, said: "We are delighted to have partnered with one of the most renowned names in television."

They searched a drug database, which monitors the prescription of controlled substances, as part of their investigation.

Lawyer Brian Oxman, who is representing Jackson's father in a wrongful death civil case, said he was "very disappointed".

"The misuse of medications by Michael Jackson in the last years of his life was excessive and to fail to bring that to the public eye is ignoring reality," he said.

In his civil case, Joe Jackson accuses Dr Murray of professional negligence in administering a fatal mix of sedatives to the singer.

The Drug Enforcement Agency has also stopped investigating any other doctors who treated Jackson, a spokeswoman said.

The Nationwide pointed out that the number of completed home sales was still running at about half the level recorded before the credit crunch started.

Since the spring of 2009 prices had been pushed higher again, mainly by a shortage of homes coming onto the market for sale.

Earlier this month, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said it expected prices to start falling in the second half of this year, as sellers started to outnumber buyers.

However, the Nationwide said it was less certain about the prospect for prices.

"It will take several more months to establish whether house prices are now simply oscillating around a flat price trend or whether a period of downward trending prices may be in store," Mr Gahbauer said.

His comments, made during an appearance in front of the House of Commons' Treasury Committee, suggest he believes interest rates should stay low for the foreseeable future.

Mr King said he could not be confident that growth was firmly established.

Latest figures show the UK economy grew by 1.1% in the second quarter.

The gross domestic product (GDP) figures were stronger than had been expected.

But Mr King said there was no pressing need to rein in rising growth or curb inflation. He said: "The debate is about the appropriate degree of stimulus, not about applying brakes."

The latest minutes from the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which sets interest rates, showed one member out of eight voted to raise rates from their current level of 0.5% to curb inflation.

The central bank governor's comments were in harmony with a report from the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR).

The think tank said that growth would not pick up over the rest of the year, leaving annual economic growth at a sluggish 1.2% because of cuts in government spending.

NIESR questioned whether cuts of the scale planned were necessary for the UK.

One of its researchers, Ray Barrell, said: "The idea of a Greek-style crisis in the UK was always very unlikely. The 'emergency' budget was more about political theatre than economic necessity."

NIESR's views have an added importance as the think tank's head, Martin Weale, has just become the MPC's ninth member.

He will cast his first vote on the level of interest rates next week.