Home Broadband Users Still Baffled By Technology
Household broadband users are still confused by the technology, with many admitting to being puzzled by the terms IPTV and VoIP, a new study by uSwitch.com reveals.
80,000 households get connected to broadband every week, but the new research by the comparison and switching company has shown that 39% of broadband users do not understand Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), which is the capacity to watch TV through a broadband connection.
One third or 34% were baffled by the term VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol, which is the ability to make phone calls via an internet connection.
Perhaps surprisingly, it is the over-50s who are most technologically savvy, understanding more of the jargon than their younger counterparts in the 18-29 age group.
Chris Williams, broadband product manager at uSwitch.com said: “Our research shows that many internet users feel baffled by the use of acronyms and jargon. Even though we live in the 21st Century it seems that people are not as familiar with new technologies as one might think.
“Broadband technology has led to a whole new language of computer acronyms, slowly creeping into daily conversations. With people not having a full understanding of this language or a knowledge as to what lies ahead in the future of internet development, it will be the consumer who ultimately loses out.”