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Broadband prices 'falling across Europe'
Thursday 26th March 2009, by Daniel King
Broadband prices across Europe are falling significantly - despite the continual increase in services and speeds, a new report has suggested.
Put together by the European Commission, the survey looked at the cost of high-speed internet facilities across a range of countries in the EU and discovered that whether it was DSL, cable modem or fibre-based, web access had gotten cheaper.
It was noted the level of competition in the market was driving prices down and this was not affecting the quality of broadband offerings that were available to consumers - including those in the UK.
The study looked at average monthly subscription charges between April 2007 and April 2008, revealing services with speeds between one and two Mbps fell by 19 per cent. Consumers enjoying downloads of two to four Mbps saw a drop of 29 per cent and those with four to eight Mbps connections were down four per cent.
EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said: "The right combination of competition between companies and regulation means that prices are down and internet speeds are up."
She added the majority of people across the continent had access to online services offering two Mbps or above and this meant many were now enjoying facilities such as TV over internet without worrying about the cost.
"The trend is good but there are still important differences in prices between countries," Ms Reding concluded.
Virgin Media and BT have both issued statements this week promising consumers faster download speeds over the next few years, with the former suggesting this could be from 100 Mbps upwards by 2012.
Categories: Broadband, BT, Virgin Media
