Broadband not meeting UK consumer expectations

Most consumers in the UK are unhappy with their broadband connection, according to a new survey.

The survey by ViaSat published today revealed that many UK consumers are unhappy with broadband, despite government initiatives aimed at making broadband faster and available to more people.

The study of 2,012 adults living in the UK found that 72% of consumers feel the government isn't doing enough to meet future broadband needs.

On average, consumers believed modern broadband speeds should be at least 60Mbps, six times the speed proposed by the government as the minimum speed of the Government's Universal Service Obligation (10Mbps), and 2.5 times faster than the government's superfast broadband commitment (24Mbps).

"Despite the Government's best efforts to roll-out superfast broadband across the UK, it still has an uphill perception battle to fight," said Neil Fraser, head of space and comms, ViaSat UK. "According to the survey, British consumers see themselves as a nation that is disconnected, which is in stark contrast to the Government's own statistics showing the vast majority have access to superfast services today."

In addition, less than half of respondents said they believe they can access superfast broadband in their area.

The survey showed that majority of consumers (77%) in the UK believe superfast broadband efforts are disproportionately focused on London and the South-East, this number rises to 85%-87% among respondents in the north of England and Scotland.

Fraser said: "The survey highlights the average consumer believes rural areas will always take a backseat to busy cities and towns. However, consumers clearly recognise internet connectivity as critical to the economy."

Around 80% of survey respondents said they would accept disruptions to their home in order to get a faster broadband.

"This disruption doesn't have to mean digging trenches and waiting months for construction to be scheduled and completed," according to Fraser. "Technologies including satellite broadband are now increasingly capable of offering the speed and coverage that the UK needs, both now and in the future."

Ofcom recently completed its review of Openreach, and 100,000 UK citizens took part in a campaign called 'Fix Britain's Internet.

"This is all the reason for the UK Government to show not only if and how they are reaching 90% of the population today, but even more importantly how they plan to reach 100% of the nation in the future," added Fraser.