Report: Lack of consumer awareness hindering gigabit take-up

According to a report from the Gigabit Take-up Advisory Group (GigaTAG), led by Which?, take-up of gigabit-capable broadband within the UK is being hindered by a lack of consumer awareness of the technology and its capabilities.

The rollout of gigabit-capable broadband in the UK has been gathering pace, with the technology now available to around 37 per cent of UK properties, while the government is investing £5 billion in an effort to connect at least 85 per cent of properties to full-fibre broadband by 2025.

However, the GigaTAG report indicates that this progress is not being fully capitalised on due to a lack of awareness, with around 6 in 10 consumers not aware of gigabit-capable broadband, according to the report.

One of the report’s key findings was that the terminology surrounding different types of broadband technology was leading to hesitancy among consumers. According to the report, about 4 in 10 consumers said they weren’t confident understanding broadband terminology.

As a result, the report has called on providers and regulator Ofcom to set clearer terminology to describe gigabit broadband and its capabilities in more straightforward terms.

Two out of every five consumers, meanwhile, said they weren’t clear about how a gigabit-capable connection would be different from their existing connection, indicating a widespread lack of awareness of the potential benefits of gigabit broadband.

Another issue was the cost of gigabit broadband, with two in five low-income households citing the affordability of these connections as an issue. Cost was also a more general issue, with just one in five consumers saying they would be willing to pay more for a gigabit-capable connection.

Rocio Concha, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Which? and GigaTAG chair, said: “Demand for faster, more reliable broadband services is crucial to the success of the roll-out of gigabit-capable broadband, and to ensure the benefits of these connections are realised.”

“Better information about the benefits, measures to improve the language used to describe these services, along with possible targeted voucher and discount schemes, will help to address the barriers preventing consumers from benefiting from better connections.”/>