ASA raps Voda over broadband ads

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld complaints by 3 and T-Mobile about claims in a Vodafone advert for mobile broadband.

Two national press advertisements for Vodafone’s mobile broadband claimed “the fastest, most reliable mobile broadband in the galaxy”, for “only £15 a month”.

Text in the adverts also read: “Leap into hyperdrive. With Vodafone's mobile broadband you get download speeds of up to 7.2Mbps on your laptop, which is as quick as most home broadband… enjoy mobile broadband that's light years ahead.”

The ASA responded to the complaints by 3 and T-Mobile: “The claims ‘fastest’ and ‘most reliable’ mobile broadband service were misleading.

“We concluded that, because readers would understand it was based on both the speed and reliability of the Vodafone service, and because we had not seen evidence to support those claims, the claim ‘mobile broadband that's light years ahead’ was misleading.

“The ads must not appear again in their current form. We told Vodafone to make clear the basis of their claims in future.”