Over 800k UK homes switch broadband for first time in 2021
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Faye Sutton
| 23 December 2021
New research from Zen Internet has found that UK adults used time in lockdown as the perfect opportunity to move on from their existing broadband providers, with 834,000 households making the switch during the past year.
Sky BT 21Feb2020

In the study, the independent online service provider noted that with UK communications regulator Ofcom continuing to push providers to make it easier for consumers to switch, the UK has seen a surge in the number of households switching for the first time. Households stating they have never switched broadband provider is down to just 18% from 21% year on year.

Despite a significant proportion of households having never switched, many do recognise the benefits of doing so. Nearly a quarter (22%) understand they would save money, and 19% state they would get more value for money, while 11% believe they could get a better and more reliable service by switching.

But fears of switching continue to hold people back. The top concerns when switching broadband provider include the service being worse than with current supplier (19%), hidden costs (12%) and not having access to internet during the switch (11%).

However, with 35% seeing an upswing in the number of devices they are connecting and requiring more bandwidth in general, 33% have experienced more issues, such as outages, in recent months than they have done previously. As a result, 38% used time over lockdown to explore other options and for 40% sustainability is considered a clear factor when selecting a broadband provider.

A third (33%) would stay with their current provider if they were guaranteed no price hikes, with a similar number (30%) stating that being offered the same deals as new customers would help. Having great customer service is a priority for 28% as is no mid contract price hikes (27%).

Nearly two thirds (63%) revealed that switching was easier than they thought it would be and 33% of UK adults intend to switch within the next 18 months.

Paul Stobart, CEO at Zen, said: “The appetite for increased bandwidth and bulletproof connectivity is real, with households connecting more devices to their home internet connection than ever before. This has had a significant impact on people’s relationship with both their internet connection and how it works, and in turn, their broadband provider.

“All of us have customers that leave, but customers have free choice. If our industry wishes to retain the customers that currently use our service then it is up to us to be even better at providing a great value service while also taking our responsibilities seriously for the communities in which we serve and the planet on which we live.”