Millions of Brits overpaying for broadband

Tue, 01 Nov 2011
 
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Nearly nine out of ten households across the UK are paying for high speed broadband services that they may not need, according to a new research.

A new home technology study of 2,000 web users, carried out by Computeractive magazine, revealed that as many as 85 per cent of broadband subscribers may be paying extra for services they do not require.

It found that people could save themselves an average of £6.12 a month by signing up to a cheaper, more appropriate broadband deal, without affecting their user experience.

The average consumer currently pays £15.72 per month for their broadband (excluding landline or any other service), but the survey suggests this figure could be reduced to £9.60 as the majority of Brits use their broadband connections for basic, low bandwidth activities.

Computeractive also found that older consumers (over-55’s) are spending more on broadband services (an average of £17 per month) than younger consumers, despite the fact that they are less likely to make use of high-end packages by downloading films, watching TV online or playing internet games .

Commenting on the findings, Paul Allen, editor of Computeractive, said: "While no one would argue the desirability of high speed broadband, it is not as useful on a day-to-day basis and definitely not worth more than £10 a month."

"We would urge customers not to be swayed by fancy advertising promoting the fastest broadband ever and confusing jargon when thinking about signing up for their service."