What would you give up for your broadband connection?
Monday 04 August 2008 16:34:13 by John Hunt
Thirty percent of broadband users in Britain would rather give up their magazine subscriptions, cigarettes and alcohol than their broadband connection, a recent survey by Plusnet reveals. 92% of those questioned said they wanted to keep their broadband connection despite the current economic slowdown, with more than half (58%) keen to stick with their current supplier or tariff. 34% were ready to switch if the current economic situation didn't improve.
Indications showed, that users were using the Internet to search out better deals and bargains using price comparison websites, paying bills online to get discounts and reading the news online in place of buying a newspaper.
"The survey shows there is a high level of volatility in the broadband market as users shop around for the best deals.
However, broadband is now so popular and central to the daily life of Britain that few consumers are ready to end their internet connection completely to make ends meet. Some are ready to switch suppliers to help with their household budgets but they still want to keep broadband.
In fact, millions of people are using the power of the web to shop smartly and hunt down better-value goods and services."
Neil Armstrong (Products Director), Plusnet
Plusnet figures show that web browsing is the most popular online activity (63.3%) with the busiest surfers located in the Solent area. File sharing is next popular (16.8%), with the highest percentage of file sharers living in the West of Scotland. Gaming, popular in the North of Scotland, accounts for 4.73% of online activity and streaming, most popular in South West London is 4.26%. The City of London sends the most e-mail and accounts for 2% of online activity.
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quote"Thirty percent of broadband users in Britain would rather give up their magazine subscriptions, cigarettes and alcohol than their broadband connection"
What people still buy magazines??? As to the booze and fags, just throttle yourself to 2 glasses and 3 puffs a day to bring it in line with Britains throttled broadband and keep all 3 items LOL
If i had to have plusnet and its throttled service i would rather take up smoking and drinking it was only after leaving them i was able to use the service for what it is intended.
[the busiest surfers located in the Solent area]
Sounds about Wight.
file sharers living in the West of Scotland
Giving MPAA some ammunition for a future headline! "Studies have found there is a direct link between file sharing and heroin use"
I could give up my broadband for many, many things but alcohol is definitely not one of them.
I find it a little disappointing that TB feel this Plusnet PR 'survey' is worthy of a news story.
Plusnet ..Ha....I was with PN for several years and up until I left I was paying £22 a month and getting no more than 6MB download speeds with it's throttled service and download caps unless you wanted to become nocturnal and stay up throughout the night so I jumped ship and am now with BE .I am getting 14MB for £ 18 a month .
Lucky you, being able to use BE. Not all exchanges have the service, unfortunately.
Where I am some small town (7,xxx residential users) has Be, but mine, with 21,xxx doesn't.
Even if it did, they'd probably only serve people on the town centre exchange, while the people on one side have a smaller exchange, which 'misses out' on some of the LLU services, so we'll probably not get Be for a long time.
well it would help if you say WHAT area!!! - Shame BT into getting more done!!
someone talked about 'lack of space in cabinet' could be a reason...
Of course people will keep their internet! It's time we stopped thinking of it as a luxury, but rather as a utility, like electricity or phone. It's bad enough that it can't be connected immediately on moving in, unlike other utilities. Alcohol's a luxury, smoking is a damaging waste of money, so they shouldn't be compared. The internet can be used for many things, and get back a lot of its cost through price or time saving. It's cheap - I bet many people pay 2 or 3x as much for their mobile. And how many people would suggest giving up TV during hard times, despite it being a complete luxury?