UPD Survey Claims Most UK Consumers Will Pay Extra for Superfast Broadband

The results from 830 respondents (polled during February 2012) to our latest monthly reader survey has revealed that almost three quarters (71%) of respondents would be willing to pay more to upgrade their current service with a reliable superfast broadband (25Mbps+) connection, yet over half (55%) still point to a lack of availability as being the main barrier to their adoption.

How much do you pay for just broadband (monthly)?
£21+ – 34.4%
£16 – £20 – 24%
£11 – £15 – 20.6%
£6 – £10 – 14.9%
£0 – £5 – 5.9%

Would you pay more for a reliable superfast broadband speed (25Mbps+)?
No – 28.7%
Yes (+£5 extra) – 21.6%
Yes (Not sure how much) – 20.2%
Yes (+£15 extra or more) – 15.3%
Yes (+£10 extra) – 13.9%

What stops you most from getting superfast broadband?
No Availability – 55.4%
Price – 16.3%
I have it already! – 12.6%
My current service is fine – 6.2%
Other – 5.7%
My area has it but not my ISP – 3.4%

Ofcom’s own data appears to suggest that the UK is one of the lowest priced countries in the world for broadband. As a result it’s quite encouraging that so many people, most of which will be use to paying very little for their current service, would still be willing to pay more for the next generation of superfast connectivity.

But the problem of availability has yet to be resolved and, for some, it could take until 2015 before 90% (government target) of people are within reach of a superfast service. At the same time many of the largest operators continue to focus on upgrades in urban locations, most of which can already benefit from good connectivity.

Meanwhile the highest demand for superfast services, where people are often willing to pay more to escape years of slow service, usually comes from digital isolated rural areas. These are admittedly a lot more challenging to reach.

This month’s new survey asks whether or not the UK government is right to be spending £100m of its Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) budget to boost superfast broadband in cities? Vote Here.

UPDATE 1:32pm

One of our readers reminded us of a point we should have made above. Consumers in rural and remote areas, often due to the lack of competition from unbundled (LLU) providers, are frequently already forced to pay between +£5-15 extra per month for broadband that usually ends up being far slower.