EE UK Claims Some Customers Scrapping Home Broadband for 4G

A new survey of 1,000 4G users on EE’s network in the United Kingdom (conducted by TNS) has reported that the number of customers using fewer or no public WiFi services since getting 4G has reached 54% and 30% are using less or no home broadband. Indeed 3% of the operator’s subscribers claim to have cancelled home broadband after getting 4G.

We do know some people, usually those with low to modest Internet usage and good reception (heavy mobile usage often attracts a cost), that have decided to save money by scrapping their home broadband service (often including the fixed phone line) in order to go mobile-only and use Mobile Broadband for surfing. This has become more attractive with faster 4G services, although Ofcom’s separate data suggests that it’s not yet a rising trend.

According to Ofcom, the majority of UK homes (80%) used both fixed and mobile telephony services in Q1 2014. In addition, “there was no significant change” in the proportions of homes that were mobile-only or fixed-only, at 16% and 4% respectively. In other words, most consumers still see 4G as a compliment and not a replacement for fixed line broadband.

Back to EE’s survey and 60% of customers claimed to save time by using faster 4G Internet access, with 13% gaining an hour’s leisure time as a result. Similarly 77% of predominantly business customers said they worked more efficiently on their 4G devices.

Olaf Swantee, CEO of EE, said:

“With more than four million customers and over a year of data, we’re in a unique position to understand how 4G is changing the way people use their devices for work and play.

It is key that we continue to extend the social and business benefits of 4G to as many people as we can. We remain on track to cover another ten million people with 4G this year, bringing change to even more people across the UK.”

Apparently EE’s average data usage has also increased by 66% in the last 12 months, outstripping 3G customers on both Orange and T-Mobile plans. On top of that the PlayStation Network (PSN) accounts for 36% of gaming traffic compared to Xbox Live, which represents just 15%. But app-based gaming programmes are gaining ground. For example, Zynga, maker of Farmville, is now contributing to a large portion of gaming traffic (15%) and shows the biggest growth.