Half of UK People Swap Broadband ISP Due to Slow Speeds

Jan. 3, 2012 - PRLog -- A new ISPreview.co.uk survey of 888 broadband subscribers in the United Kingdom (conducted between November 2011 and December 2011) has revealed that over a third (34%) plan to switch Internet Service Provider (ISP) in 2012 (up from 31% in Jan 2011) and 36% remain undecided. Furthermore 55% of respondents claimed to be "happy" with their current ISP (unchanged from 2011), although the old problem areas remain.

When asked, "which aspect of your ISP makes you least happy?", some 37% pointed to service speeds, 19% said service support / reliability, 16.5% were frustrated by high prices, 10% had suffered as a result of access restrictions (usage allowances etc.) and only 17% had no major complaints.

In addition 43% claimed to be paying more for their broadband than last year, which is partly due to the governments earlier Value Added Tax (VAT) hike from 17.5% to 20% and general industry price rises (e.g. phone line rental, call rates). Upgrades to faster and more expensive superfast broadband packages have also played a part, albeit only a small one due to their limited coverage.

"It's no surprise to see that consumers are still least happy with their broadband ISP speeds and that over a third plan to swap provider in the new year," said ISPreview.co.uk's Founder, Mark Jackson. "The good news is that a new generation of superfast broadband services have finally begun to take hold, which offer faster speeds and greater reliability than current generation services."

"Stricter rules from Ofcom and the UK Advertising Standards Authority are also working to make internet providers more honest about the capabilities of their services, which should result in happier consumers as concerns over speed and reliability slowly begin to subside. We predict that price, coverage and support quality will thus become a key battlefield for the new generation of superfast broadband services," concluded Jackson.