Internet service providers have been keen to promote high-speed access as the major benefit of the broadband revolution. However, a new report from an influential think-tank has cast doubt on this policy and advised marketers to alter their strategy.
The Work Foundation carried out research among broadband subscribers in London and Leeds and concluded that speed was not always a priority. It maintained that while large companies and heavy internet users do want the ability to download quickly and easily, this was of secondary importance to many consumers.
“People are not doing things that require speed, so that is something of a red herring as a selling point,” said James Crabtree, one of the authors of the report. He maintained that surfers they were just as likely to be impressed by the fact that, unlike many dial-up subscribers, they were not charged for the amount of time spent online.
The report also played down the ‘always-on’ facility claiming that people do not have their PCs switched-on enough to appreciate it.
Broadband take-up in the UK is lower than in many developed countries and Prime Minister Tony Blair recently appealed for greater competition to drive down costs and improve services (see Blair Reiterates Commitment To Broadband).
