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13.07.2011 10:51

Europeans Prefer All-in-One Packages for Internet, Phone and TV

One in four respondents considered that their internet download/upload speeds do not match the conditions of the contract they signed

AUTHOR: publics.bg

© larskflem@flickr.com

Four out of ten Europeans households are buying "bundled" internet, phone and TV services from a single provider, a new Eurobarometer survey shows. The survey also found that 65% of people limit their mobile phone calls because of cost and that calls over the Internet are becoming increasingly popular. The E-Communications Household Survey was carried out between 9 February and 8 March 2011 using a sample of 27,000 households that are representative of the EU population.

One in four respondents considered that their internet download/upload speeds do not match the conditions of the contract they signed (a problem also identified in the Commission's net neutrality Communication) and one in three said they have experienced connection breakdowns. New EU legislation applicable from May 25, 2011 requires service providers to give customers comprehensive and accurate information in advance - before they sign a contract - on minimum service quality levels including actual connection speeds and possible limits on internet speeds. The Commission is currently investigating broadband speeds and other transparency and quality of service issues.

The survey also found that EU citizens are concerned about data privacy - 88% of respondents said they would like to be informed if their personal data collected by the telecom provider was lost, stolen or altered in any way. Under new EU rules applicable from May 25, 2011, telecoms operators and internet service providers must take strong security measures to protect the names, email addresses and bank account information of their customers, along with data about every phone call and internet session they engage in. The new rules also require operators, if security is breached and/or personal data is lost or stolen, to inform the data protection authorities and their customers without undue delay.

The survey also found the following:

98% of EU households have access to a telephone and an increasing proportion of households (now 89%) have access to a mobile phone. 62% have both fixed and mobile phones, while only 9% rely on a fixed line alone.

98% of EU households have television. The most popular means of TV reception is cable (35%) followed by digital terrestrial (30%, an increase of 7 percentage points since November-December 2009).

Bundles – packaged telecoms services

42% of households subscribe to a "bundled" service, while 61% of all internet access and half of fixed telephony services are purchased as part of a bundle.

41% of households said the main advantage of these packages was the convenience of having a single service provider and a single invoice. 33% believed that a bundle is cheaper than paying for each service separately.

However, 16% consider that bundles offer some services they do not need and another 10% raise concerns about the lack of transparency and clarity in relation to the cost and conditions of each service.

Switching services

Six out of ten households say they have never considered switching to another service provider.

77% of households are 'inertial', that is they would never switch their bundle. 12% of households are "active switchers" and another 12% would like to switch but are hindered for one reason or another.