Dodgy broadband deters nine million from rural living
Nine million Brits (17%) won’t move to the countryside through fear of being cut off by poor broadband
Bad broadband and phone reception are widely considered major drawbacks to rural living, behind only poor transport links
A quarter (25%) of rural residents say they cannot make mobile calls at home while four in 10 (38%) suffer from a slow or unreliable broadband connection
More than one million remorseful homeowners living in the country say they would never have moved had they known how poor the connectivity was
com calls on providers to improve customer awareness of the best speeds and deals available to them, with industry claims of widespread national coverage clearly not matching consumers’ experience.
Despite industry claims that almost all of the country can now access superfast connections, millions of Brits are staying put in the city because of concerns over poor rural broadband and mobile coverage, according to new research by Uswitch.com, the price comparison and switching service.
More than 13 million city dwellers would like to live in the countryside in the future – but for the 15 million (37%) who wouldn’t, more than half (58%) are put off by the thought of poor broadband connections and patchy phone signal.
Although Ofcom claims that 93% of the country can already access superfast broadband services, four in 10 (38%) rural residents suffer from a slow or unreliable connection. And when it comes to using a mobile at home, a third (34%) say their calls regularly cut out, while a quarter (25%) say they can’t make any at all.
In total, more than one million Brits – a tenth of all those currently living in the countryside – say they would never have moved there had they known how poor rural connectivity is.
Table: Issues with living in the countryside
Ernest Doku, broadband and mobiles expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “It’s ludicrous that in 2018 broadband and mobile phone signal is a factor influencing where in the UK people choose to live.
“In recent years there have been massive strides made in the rollout of superfast services and mobile reception provision, so it’s hard to imagine why so many people continue to struggle along on a service that doesn’t meet their needs.
“Pretty much everyone in both the city and the country should be able to access excellent broadband and mobile coverage, so those experiencing poor connectivity need to be made more aware of the range of better options available to them.
“The only explanation is that providers have been guilty of a ‘build it and they will come’ mentality – simply assuming that their work is done as soon as they have provided the infrastructure for faster services and not doing enough to make sure that their customers are aware that better services are available.
“Whether you live in the city or the country, good connectivity is something everyone relies on and should expect. It certainly shouldn’t be allowed to deter anyone from relocating to their next home – wherever that may be.”
Uswitch’s Connectivity without Complexity campaign has been looking at these key issues and exploring their impact on consumers. We believe it’s time the industry gave the facts – being open and upfront with the information that matters, removed the needless hoops that consumers are made to jump through and worked to ensure the road to faster, more reliable connectivity is a journey for all. To find out more, visit www.uswitch.com/connectivity.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Rory Stoves
Phone: 020 3872 5613
Email: rory.stoves@uswitch.com
Twitter: @UswitchPR
Notes to editors
Opinium surveyed a sample of 2,008 UK adults from the 17th to 20th July 2018. Results have been weighted to reflect a nationally representative criteria.
Respondents were asked: ‘How would you describe where you currently live?’ 79% of respondents answered ‘Urban’ or ‘Suburban’ Total adults in the UK is 52,078,536. 79% of 52,078,536 is 40,925,560 people who do not already live in the countryside. Respondents who don’t live in the countryside were asked were asked: ‘How likely are you to consider living in the countryside in the future?’ 37% of respondents answered ‘Unlikely’ and 33% answered ‘Likely’. 33% of 40,925,560 is 13,505,435 who are likely to consider living in the countryside. 37% of 40,925,560 is 15,250,225 who are unlikely to consider living in the countryside. Respondents who are unlikely to live in the countryside were asked: ‘Would any of the following put you off living in the countryside in the future?’ 58% answered ‘Slow or unreliable broadband connections’. 58% of 15,250,225 is 8,818,157 who are put off living in the countryside by slow or unreliable broadband connections
Respondents who don’t live rurally were asked: ‘Have you read or heard about any of the following issues used to describe living in the countryside?’ 58% answered ‘Slow or unreliable broadband connections’ and 55% answered ‘Poor or no mobile signal’. 61% answered ‘Poor transport links’. 48% answered ‘Lack of public services (eg doctor surgeries, schools etc) and 42% answered ‘Lack of activities available (eg cinema, restaurants etc).
Respondents were asked: ‘Which of the following statements apply to you?’ Of the respondents who live in rural areas, 25% answered ‘Yes’ to ‘I can’t make or receive calls on my mobile from inside my home’.
Respondents were asked: ‘Which of the following statements apply to you?’ Of the respondents who live in rural areas, 38% answered ‘Yes’ to ‘I have a slow or unreliable broadband connection at home’.
Respondents were asked: ‘How would you describe where you currently live?’ 21% of respondents answered ‘Rural’. Total adults in the UK is 52,078,536. 21% of 52,078,536 is 11,126,440 people who live in the countryside. Respondents who live in the countryside were asked: ‘How much do you agree with the following statement: I would have reconsidered moving to the countryside if I’d known about poor connectivity beforehand.’ 10% answered ‘Agree’. 10% of 11,126,440 is 1,063,366 who would have reconsidered moving to the countryside had they known about poor connectivity.
Ofcom ‘Connected Nations Update’, October 2018
Respondents were asked: ‘Which of the following statements apply to you?’ Of the respondents who live in rural areas, 34% answered ‘Yes’ to ‘Calls on my mobile will often cut out when I’m in my house’.
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