Europeans prefer the all in one packages for internet, phone and TV with four out of ten Europeans purchasing a bundled package from a single provider, according to a new Eurobarometer survey.
One in four respondents believed that their internet download/upload speeds do not match the conditions of the contract they signed and one in three said they have experienced connection breakdowns.
New European legislation, brought in on May 25, 2011, requires service providers to give minimum service quality levels before a contract is signed.
“Consumers are telling us loud and clear that they are worried they are not getting the internet speeds and quality of service they have been promised,” said Neelie Kroes, European Commission vice president for the Digital Agenda. “National authorities must take appropriate measures to ensure that operators respect new EU rules requiring to them to be transparent on connection speeds and service quality. If this should not be sufficient, I would not hesitate to take further action in the form of more prescriptive guidance, or even legislation if it is needed.”
The survey also found the following:
- 98% of EU households have television. The most popular means of TV reception is cable (35%) followed by digital terrestrial (30%, an increase of 7 percentage points since November-December 2009).
- 42% of households subscribe to a “bundled” service, while 61% of all internet access and half of fixed telephony services are purchased as part of a bundle.
- Six out of ten households say they have never considered switching to another service provider.
- 77% of households are ‘inertial’, that is they would never switch their bundle.
- 12% of households are “active switchers” and another 12% would like to switch but are hindered for one reason or another.
- Among the obstacles to switching are the risk of a temporary loss of service, the risk of having to pay for more than one provider during the switching process and the lack of clarity about the steps required for switching.
