Telefonica - 15.08.2008

Telefonica are set to increase the speed of its broadband internet access free of charge for some of its clients.

The move will only benefit customers who pay EUR 40.90 a month for their ADSL lines and antivirus programs, representing around 1.3 million clients, the telecoms giant said.

When the upgrade is completed by mid-October, the access speed of these clients will rise from three megabits per second (Mbps) to six, a company spokesperson said.

Last month a uling was made by the Telecommunications Market Commission (CMT) that other internet access providers also had the right to offer their clients a similar upgrade, and that operators who use Telefónica's infrastructure must be guaranteed the means to do so in equal conditions as the former state telecoms monopoly.

Under the ruling, Telefonica is obliged to give other operators one month's notice regarding which of their lines can be upgraded to the new speed and which cannot.

The decision comes shortly after the Industry Ministry announced that it would move against companies that are unable or unwilling to guarantee at least 80 percent of the internet speed they advertise in their promotional campaigns.

A recent report shows that average broadband speed has risen five percent in the first six months of the year across Spain, going from 3.42 Mbps to 3.59 Mbps.