Over three quarters (78%) of UK consumers feel slowed down and frustrated by their internet connection, with the figure rising among homeworkers (82%) and young people (87%). As the school holidays prompt many people to rethink their working arrangements, almost all those who work from home regularly (99%) agree that a better connection would enable them to do so more often.
The new research highlights that more than a third (36%) of people polled said if they could work from home more often they would have a better work-life balance. The ability to work at home would also reduce stress, according to 34% of respondents, while over a fifth (21%) said it would improve their work performance.
And while the benefits of flexible working are clear, connectivity barriers are preventing the UK from embracing it – with more than half (56%) saying their current connection prevents them from working from home as much as they would like.
That leaves the UK in a precarious position as it battles to meet the demands of the modern workplace – and workforce – of the future, especially given the higher expectation younger people have of the connectivity they need to get the job done. According to the research, 87 per cent of 16-24 year olds felt slowed down by their internet connection, compared with 71 per cent of those aged 55 or older.
CityFibre – who commissioned the new survey of almost 3,500 UK residents through Censuswide – is today launching a new campaign, drawing attention to the issue by exposing the outdated infrastructure lurking beneath the UK’s streets. The fibre challenger has “unearthed” a Coppersaurus while digging trenches for new full fibre connections in Milton Keynes – a symbol of our prehistoric copper-based telecommunications infrastructure.
Greg Mesch, chief executive, CityFibre, said: "For too long the UK has been held back by a deliberate lack of investment by BT Openreach in fibre infrastructure. Although companies like CityFibre are building the networks that will give millions of homes and businesses access to full fibre broadband, providers continuing to advertise copper-based connections as "fibre" is leaving people completely confused about what is on offer.”
“With the way we work increasingly blending our home and work lives, it has never been more important for people to understand what broadband connection they really get at home. Years of misleading advertising have made this near impossible, which is why the rules must be changed now – this cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely. It is time everyone knows the reality of what’s under our streets.”
This research highlights the effect of outdated copper infrastructure, as the country slips to 35th in global internet speed rankings – slower than Madagascar.
This, combined with the confusion stemming from Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) guidelines that permit broadband adverts to describe copper-based connections as ‘fibre’, risks undermining the ambitions set out by the Government for all homes and business premises to be connected to full fibre by 2033.
As part of this campaign for a change in the rules, CityFibre is taking the ASA to Court, disputing its conclusion that “fibre” is not a misleading term in broadband adverts when used to describe copper-based connections.