Nit: if 70Mbps isn’t a typo, then you’re on VDSL not ADSL.

ADSL tops out at ~24Mbps while VDSL can go much higher, albeit over shorter distances than ADSL

Are you suggesting 70Mbps is slow ADSL? There are many places where not even a tenth of that speed is possible.

I had a chuckle at the 3.5Mbps that the wet string was getting in the article. When I first moved in to this house, I was getting around 3Mbps on ADSL. Thankfully now I'm on 100Mbps fibre (not amazing by global standards, but good by Australian standards).

That wet string would have been an upgrade for me.

Knew you were from Australia as soon as you mentioned your old speed.

100Mbps isn't great for fibre. I'm on 100Mbps just on plain old HFC.

BT have left a large number of people on ADSL. No VDSL upgrade.

it's the UK average for urban ADSL. and those many places are where the FTTH startups are springing up