For immediate release: Tuesday, 30th July 2024
Outages have hit a record high in the past 12 months, with an estimated 38 million Brits experiencing broadband disconnections lasting three or more hours[1]
This represents a 73% increase compared to 2023’s annual broadband report, with more than a quarter (26%) hit by outages at least once a week[2]
Yorkshire and Humberside is the UK’s worst-affected region, with residents left offline an average of 587 hours in one year – six times more than the North West at 93 hours[3]
Uswitch offers advice on how to handle a broadband outage, what compensation Brits are entitled to and what to do if you’re unhappy with your current service
A record number of Brits have suffered broadband outages in the past 12 months, with 38 million experiencing broadband disconnections of three or more hours[1], according to Uswitch’s annual broadband report – a 73% increase from 2023’s report.[2]
Despite mid-contract price rises of more than 8% hitting some Brits’ pockets earlier this year, regular internet outages are still a part of everyday life for many.
More than a third (37%) have been left without a connection for nine hours or more in the longest continuous broadband outage they experienced in the last year. In the past 12 months, more than a quarter (26%) have been hit by outages at least once a week and, for one in 20 (6%), their internet has dropped on a daily basis[4].
The top reasons for internet interruptions were broadband provider outages (17%), followed by power cuts (15%) and routers not working (14%)[5].
Uswitch estimates broadband outages this year have contributed to costing the UK economy £1.6 billion in lost work hours, with one quarter (23%) prevented from working by broadband disconnections[6].
Worst-affected region
Yorkshire and Humberside tops the list of regions worst-affected by broadband outages, with residents experiencing an average 587 hours - or 24.5 days - spent offline in one year, followed by those living in the South West, who suffered 217 hours (9 days) of outages.
Those based in the North West are least affected, experiencing outages of 93 hours on average in comparison - six times less than the most impacted region[3].
Table: Average downtime by region over the past 12 months:[3]
| Rank | Region | Average downtime 2023 past 12 months in hours | Average downtime past 12 months in days |
| 1 | Yorkshire and Humberside | 587 | 24.5 days |
| 2 | South West | 217 | 9 days |
| 3 | East England | 197 | 8 days |
| 4 | London | 180 | 7.5 days |
| 5 | East Midlands | 169 | 7 days |
| 6 | Scotland | 162 | 7 days |
| 7 | West Midlands | 143 | 6 days |
| 8 | South East | 111 | 5 days |
| 9 | North West | 93 | 4 days |
Work, sport and festivals all hit by broadband outages
Internet issues have had a negative impact on both Brits’ work and leisure activities. For the 61% using a home internet connection for their job, broadband outages have prevented an estimated 7.5 million Brits from working[7], with one tenth (10%) missing an important deadline as a result[8].
One in ten (12%) have even had a live sporting event ruined by an outage and 11% have been prevented from buying tickets to a sports match, festival or concert[9].
Despite the widespread issue of broadband disconnections, three in ten (29%) confess they have no ‘Plan B’ for when their internet goes down. Two fifths (39%) rely solely on their phone for hotspotting or internet access – with 17% forced to use up all of their month’s mobile data allowance to hotspot – and 12% travel into their office[10].
Those who have experienced a total loss of service of two working days or more are automatically entitled to compensation once they have notified their provider of the outage, as long as they are part of Ofcom’s Voluntary Compensation Scheme.
Many Brits are out-of-contract on their existing broadband package, which means they are likely paying more than they need to. Those that are out-of-contract can save on average £179 over an 18-month period by finding another plan[11], as well as the potential for faster speeds and a more reliable connection.
Max Beckett, broadband expert at Uswitch commented: “Following two years of Brits being hit by combined mid-contract price increases of more than £200 a year on average[12], broadband outages have continued to strike hard.
“Yet many are unaware of the compensation available if they suffer a significant outage. If your connection has completely stopped working and isn’t fixed after two working days, you could be entitled to compensation of £9.76 per day.
“With the majority of the UK’s big broadband providers signed up to Ofcom’s auto-compensation scheme, we would hope to see customers quickly reimbursed if they suffer outages.
“There are a variety of possible reasons for broadband outages – but consumers shouldn’t suffer due to provider issues. If you’re not satisfied with how your internet supplier handles outages, it may be time to vote with your feet and look for other, more reliable options elsewhere.
“There are currently numerous smaller, disruptive providers in the market who offer faster speeds at often more affordable prices than their bigger competitors. Customer satisfaction tends to be high with these alternative providers, one of which is Community Fibre, who were voted by customers as one of the Broadband Providers of the Year at this year’s Uswitch Telecoms Awards 2024.”
Uswitch broadband expert, Max Beckett, offers tips for when your internet goes down:
Check your router: Outages aren’t always due to external faults, so it’s worth performing a quick router reset and checking your Wi-Fi-connected devices in the first instance.
Status update: Many of the UK’s main broadband providers, including Sky, Virgin Media and BT have a dedicated page on their website to show whether service disruptions are network-wide or if there is a problem specifically with your connection. Websites such as Down Detector can show if others are reporting issues on your network.
Back-up plan: If your broadband is down you could be without service for several hours, so it’s worth making sure you have another option if you need internet access. Consider using your mobile phone’s data allowance by “hotspotting”, either directly or by tethering it to a computer, although beware that this could use a significant portion of your data tariff over longer periods.
Long delay, get paid: If your broadband goes down, report the fault to your provider as soon as possible. If service doesn’t resume after two working days, you’ll automatically receive compensation if your provider has joined Ofcom’s voluntary broadband compensation scheme. If your service is not fully operational two full working days after you report the issue, you could receive £9.76 for each calendar day that the service is not repaired.
Still not happy?: If these issues persist for 30 days, it could be time to switch. In this situation you may have the right to leave your provider without paying exit fees. Run a comparison at Uswitch.com to see which broadband packages are available to suit your needs. But don’t be put off by a smaller provider you haven’t heard of - millions could access faster speeds and lower costs as well as a more reliable service with a “smaller” provider
For more advice on what to do when your internet is down visit Uswitch’s guide to broadband outages
Notes to editors
Opinium surveyed a sample of 2,000 UK adults from 21 May 2024 – 24 May 2024.
Respondents were asked “How often have you lost your broadband connection for a continuous period of three hours or more in the last 12 months?” 71% of respondents confirmed they suffered from outages of 3 hours or more. 71% of the UK adult population (53,646,829) is 38,089,249.
Respondents were asked “How often have you lost your broadband connection for a continuous period of three hours or more in the last 12 months?” 71% of respondents confirmed they suffered from outages of 3 hours or more. 71% of the UK population (53,646,829) is 38,089,249. This is 73% higher than in September 2023, when 22 million suffered from outages of 3 hours or more in the previous 12 months. Respondents were asked “How often have you lost your broadband connection for a continuous period of three hours or more in the last 12 months?” 26% said they had been hit by outages at least once a week, 6% of respondents selected “daily”
Respondents were asked “How many hours or days in total has your broadband been out for in the past year for the following reasons in the last 12 months?” Using responses for reasons including: power cuts, broadband provider outages, cable damage and routine maintenance to cables, the data was split by region and for an average person to calculate the total / average time spent offline.
Respondents were asked “How long was the longest continuous broadband outage you experienced in the last year?” 37% of respondents said they had been left without a connection for nine hours or more in the longest continuous broadband outage they experienced in the last year. Respondents were asked “How often have you lost your broadband connection for a continuous period of three hours or more in the last 12 months?” 26% said they had been hit by outages at least once a week, 6% of respondents selected “daily”
Respondents were asked “Have you lost your broadband connection or had it drop out for any of the following reasons in the past 12 months? If you’ve had multiple outages for multiple reasons, please select all that applied. 17% of respondents selected “broadband provider had an outage”, 15% selected “power cut”, 14% selected “router was not working”.
Respondents who had a network outage were asked if they agreed with the statement: “It prevented me from working.” 23% agreed. This equates to 10.5% of the UK population who were prevented from working.
10.5% of the UK population (53,646,829) is 5,632,917.045, multiplied by the average number of hours left offline per person (22 hours) = 123,924,174.99 hours lost.
According to the ONS in 2020, the average working week consisted of 33.6 hours. 33.6 divided by 5 = 6.72 hours worked a day, or 28% of a full day. 28% of 123,924,174.99 = 34,698,769 working hours lost a year. According to the OECD, the UK’s hourly GDP was $60.50. 34,698,769 x $60.50 = $2,099,275,524.50. Using XE.com, $2,099,275,524.50 = £1,625,830,910.69 cost to the economy by outages that stopped people working over the last year.
Respondents were asked “ Do you use a home internet connection for work purposes?” 61% of respondents selected “Yes.” 61% of the UK population (53,646,829) is 32,724,566. Respondents were asked “Which, if any, of the following are true to you about your broadband outages? Please select all that apply” 23% of respondents selected “the outage(s) prevented me from working”. 23% of 32,724,566 is 7,526,650.
Respondents were asked “Which, if any, of the following are true to you about your broadband outages? Please select all that apply” 10% of respondents selected “I missed an urgent work deadline as a result of the outage(s)”.
Respondents were asked “Which, if any, of the following are true to you about your broadband outages? Please select all that apply” 12% of respondents selected “The outage(s) ruined the live experience of a sporting event for me”. 11% of respondents selected “I missed out on the chance to buy concert / festival / sports / event tickets as a result of the outage(s)”
Respondents were asked “What is your ‘Plan B’ when your internet goes down at home for an extended and uncertain amount of time, and you need to use it?” 29% of respondents selected “I have no ‘Plan B”, 39% of respondents selected “I would rely solely on my phone for hot spotting or accessing emails”, 12% selected “I would go to my local coffee shop or cafe”. Respondents were asked “Which, if any, of the following are true to you about your broadband outages? Please select all that apply” 17% of respondents selected “I used up all of my month’s mobile data allowance to hotspot / tether during the outage(s)”
According to the latest savings research by Uswitch.com
Opinium surveyed a sample of 2,004 UK adult mobile or broadband bill payers from 16 April 2024 – 22 April 2024. Respondents were asked “Approximately, how much, if at all, has your monthly broadband bill (including any bundled packages) increased since March?” The average was £15.20. 15.20 X 12 = £182.40 annually. Respondents were asked “Approximately, how much, if at all, has your monthly mobile phone bill increased since March?” The average was £7.90. 7.90 X 12 = £94.80 annually. £182.40 + £94.80 = £277.20
Harriet Atkinson
Telecoms PR Manager
harriet.atkinson@uswitch.com
About Uswitch
Uswitch is one of the UK’s top comparison websites for home services switching, including energy, broadband and mobiles.
More people go to Uswitch to switch their energy, broadband and mobile than any other site, and we have saved consumers over £2.7 billion off their bills since we launched in September 2000.
Free mobile app Utrack also helps households manage their home energy usage and make potential savings.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a group of online brands with a mission to empower consumers to make more confident home services, insurance and financial decisions.
