A new survey of over 1,000 adults across the UK, which was conducted by research and consulting firm Cavell, claims to have found that the majority of UK consumers (71%) still find the process of changing broadband ISP to be frustrating, complicated or intimidating. Just 28% said they found it “easy“.
According to Cavell’s 2024 UK Consumer Broadband Report, younger adults aged 18-24 were the ones who, perhaps conversely, found the switching process most complicated, with 33% highlighting frustrations. But on the flip side, the majority of consumers are now engaged with their broadband contract and know when it is up for renewal (87%), with just 13% unaware when their existing contract ends.
When it comes to broadband speed and understanding of what you pay for vs what you receive from your ISP, there are generational differences too. For example, awareness is very high (80%) amongst adults under 34 years old but drops quite steeply in the 55+ age bracket, with just 57% of respondents saying they knew if they are getting what they are paying for.
Additional Findings
➤ BT has the second-largest percentage of “positive sentiment” (42%) amongst national ISPs; only behind Sky (48%) and marginally ahead of Virgin Media (39%). TalkTalk meanwhile, which is reported to be facing an uncertain future due to debt pressures, fares less favourably in perceptions, with more UK consumers feeling negative (29%) towards the provider than positive (23%).
➤ Just 52% of respondents predict an increase in their internet usage over the next three years.
➤ Demand for streaming TV services (65%) comes out as the primary use of the internet, significantly above those who rely on it for working from home (37%).
➤ 64% said they have not been impacted by disruption in terms of roadworks to improve internet facilities in the last three years.
Furthermore, the research reveals that one in four consumers (25%) will seek a new contract immediately when their previous one ends.
Finbarr Begley, Senior Analyst at Cavell, said:
“I think it’s important to acknowledge that while there is friction with some elements like switching providers, and perceptions of individual providers might not be positive, many consumers are happy with their internet. It is fast enough, it is letting them do everything they want with it, and they think that will continue.
Of course, this poses a challenge to the broadband industry in the UK who want to keep selling faster, better, and more competitive services. There is yet to be a clear use case for mass adoption of hyperfast next-generation broadband across the country. You don’t need it if you just stream video every night.”
In fairness, switching ISP is something that Ofcom and the industry have been trying to improve for some considerable time, particularly now that the market is no longer as dominated by two major physical networks (Openreach and Virgin Media). The new One Touch Switch (OTS) migration system for easier and faster consumer broadband ISP switching is finally due to launch next month (after a lot of delays), but it may initially be a bit buggy.
The issue of encouraging people on to “hyperfast” connections is of course very well known (we’ll assume they mean gigabit-capable), although often the focus on top speeds does tend to overlook the fact that you can still benefit from the advantages of newer full fibre / gigabit networks (e.g. greater reliability and often lower pricing) via slower speed packages too. In any case, the eventual retirement of older copper and hybrid-fibre lines will perhaps make this somewhat of a moot point.