UK businesses putting up with bad broadband

But only a tenth would consider switching despite grumbles

3 June 2008 10:35 GMT / By Katie Scott

Businesses in the UK are showing that oh so British of traits - the stiff upper lip - and putting up with bad broadband connections instead of complaining.

According to a new report by analyst firm Quocirca, on behalf of Easynet Connect, one in three small or medium sized businesses (SMBs) across the UK are affected by connectivity problems.

But only a tenth of them would consider switching their ISP.

29% of the SMEs questioned believed that their internet connection occasionally dropped below performance levels they expect.

And over half of those who took part in the survey said that they were expecting their internet fees to go up.

The survey also looked into internet take-up and found that 66% of businesses have been online for over five years, with only 3% connecting in the last year.

And over one third of SMBs are selling online, more than a quarter are using IP telephony, and 39% use the network for remote backup and disaster recovery.

Commenting on the research, Chris Stening, managing director of Easynet Connect said: "The internet is now at the heart of making a business a success but poor service levels and lack of support are currently being tolerated - this should not be the case".

"SMBs should be as demanding as consumers in ensuring that they are getting the right kind of service coupled with flexibility and reliability so that they are able to focus their attention on their individual business challenges."

Full tags

Software, Online, Statistics, Broadband, ISPs