Commenting on the government’s pledge to put 5G and full fibre at the heart of the UK’s long-term telecoms strategy, Richard Neudegg, head of regulation at Uswitch.com, says: “It’s good to see the government throwing its weight behind the rollout of next generation telecoms infrastructure.
“But, this pledge to boost investment will only truly be effective if consumers are brought along on this journey too.
“As it stands, only 56% of broadband customers are aware that they can get superfast speeds in their area – despite these services being available to 95% of UK premises.
“This awareness deficit does need to be addressed while the government drives the rollout of new infrastructure. Only then will demand for these technologies start to match supply and consumers will really feel the benefits of more reliable and faster services.
“We shouldn’t be waiting 15 years for older services to be potentially switched off to get improvements to consumers. There are things that could be done now to improve the situation. Providers should start opening up property-specific coverage data so customers do not have to make their choice of broadband and mobile packages in a vacuum.
“Consumers should be able to easily access information about the minimum and average broadband speeds they are receiving, as well as the faster speeds they could get with other providers, comparing them side by side. Without this, the customer’s sight of the market is restricted, and that ultimately means they are more likely to be left behind by this vital next-gen infrastructure.”
Uswitch’s Connectivity without Complexity campaign has been looking at these key issues and exploring their impact on consumers. We believe it’s time the industry gave the facts – being open and upfront with the information that matters, removed the needless hoops that consumers are made to jump through and worked to ensure the road to faster, more reliable connectivity is a journey for all. To find out more, visit www.uswitch.com/connectivity.
Find out how you could save over £1,000 a year with Uswitchhere.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Rory Stoves
Phone: 020 3872 5613
Email: rory.stoves@uswitch.com
Twitter: @UswitchPR
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