Consumers spending more than £348 million per month on ‘unidentified’ broadband upload speeds

New research from Voneus finds that the UK spends more than £348 million per month on broadband plans that are potentially not fit for purpose.

Consumers are being urged to focus more on the importance and value of upload speeds after a survey indicates hundreds of millions of pounds each month is being spent on an aspect of broadband plans which users are struggling to fully identify.

Market research undertaken by Voneus, one of the UK’s largest rural broadband specialists, estimates 43 per cent of the 26.68 million households in the nation which have internet access do not know their upload speed.

The pandemic has seen a significant increase in people working from home, with video calling often a large requirement and along with increases in gaming and streaming, relying on a consistent upload speed is now more vital than ever before.

According to the research, 65 per cent are spending £25 per month or more on broadband, with upload speeds considered to be one-third as important as download speeds when it comes to selecting a plan.

As a result, consumers are spending £348 million a month on a service without checking or knowing whether it’s suitable for their modern-day lifestyle.

The data also indicates a lack of provider competition has meant upload speeds have become less of a priority in the nation’s villages.

While 55 per cent of all village households signed with their current provider because they are the only one supplying services to the premises, upload speeds came in fifth when it came to reasons why a current provider was selected.

Consumers in villages found the cost, a high data provision, and installation time to be more significant reasons to select a provider than upload speeds.

This is contrasted with city users, for which upload speeds was the second largest consideration when selecting a current provider, only behind download speeds.

Sue Barnes, CCO at Voneus, which delivers superfast and ultrafast broadband connections across 22 counties in the UK, said:

This research paints an interesting picture about where consumer knowledge and priorities lie when it comes to selecting a broadband plan. Users have been incorrectly taught for too long that download speeds alone are all that is required for a strong broadband connection. In the age of video calls, at-home streaming on demand and online games which demand split-second reflexes, having a low upload speed is incredibly detrimental to the service you are paying for.

However, while some providers such as Voneus provide synchronous speeds ensuring both high-speed uploads and downloads, many ISPs are still lagging behind in ensuring the vital aspect of uploads are accounted for sufficiently. This can be particularly seen in many rural areas where there will only be a single provider; Voneus is on a mission to change that and provide these areas with high speeds and strong connections both up and down.