frankf, you can only get max speeds with BT if you both live within half a mile of the local exchange AND you are connecting to the point at which the BT line enters your house. If you plug into an extension point, for example, that will reduce your download speed. The speed is also affected according to the time of day. Try downloading at 3am compared to 3pm and you will notice a massive difference.

What speeds are you getting?

I live within 500 yards of my local exchange (I'm with BT too) but I run an extension line to my computer. My speeds vary from 6.5MB at best down to 1.5MB at worst.