Consider Broadband When Buying

A fast and reliable broadband connection is increasingly important to our daily lives, but 77 per cent of Brits would go as far as to say broadband is on the list of things to consider when buying a house.  According to a new survey of 1,150 UK consumers carried out by thinkbroadband.com, the independent broadband news and information site, the majority say it is now vital when choosing a new home.

The results show that reliable internet access is now seen as a basic amenity, with many (72 per cent) of respondents revealing they had checked the estimated speed and accessibility of broadband when choosing a new home.

It seems that there are some challenges to overcome before relocating to a broadband hotspot however. Telecoms regulator Ofcom recently revealed that difficulty in changing providers was one of the driving factors in consumer complaints. Protracted problems with cancelling a service are a serious headache on top of the usual expense and challenge of moving house. Orange was the most complained about provider, while both TalkTalk and BT received more complaints than the industry standard.

Sebastien Lahtinen, co-founder of thinkbroadband.com comments: “The results reveal just how vital fast and reliable internet is to our everyday lives. House prices, job opportunities and crime rates used to be the main factors that made somewhere an attractive place to live. With so many consumers stating that fast reliable broadband would influence their house move, this could change the demographics of Britain to the point where areas that suffer from slow broadband speeds or ‘not-spots’ become even less popular. This would further increase market segregation as the area becomes less commercially viable for high-speed rollout projects.

“Combined with Ofcom’s recent report into consumer complaints, it is clear that broadband internet access is now seen as a basic need ranking alongside more standard amenities. This raises the issue of whether rural broadband development and the current Government push to make a minimum of 2 Mbps universally available are actually achievable.”
 
For further independent UK broadband information, please visit: http://www.thinkbroadband.com/

We would like to hear your opinion about important things to consider when buying a house.