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UK consumers 'wasting millions' on fast speed connections
Wednesday 8th September 2010, by Daniel King
Households in the UK are losing millions annually by paying for fast broadband connections they do not use.
O2's survey of more than 2,000 consumers found that the most popular speed was 20Mbps per month.
Most people only need an 8Mbps package for light use activities such as emailing and surfing.
According to the survey, more than three-quarters (77 per cent) of people use broadband for keeping in touch via email.
Around 74 per cent have broadband mainly for surfing, while just over a third (35 per cent) log on primarily for social networking.
Less than a fifth of people use their broadband for activities that require fast speeds – only 18 per cent stream multi-media content.
Interestingly, only five per cent and three per cent download music and film respectively.
However, most consumers are aware that tailored packages could be cheaper.
Close to two-thirds (62 per cent) said they want to be able to customise bundles.
Commenting on the research, the head of O2 Home and Broadband Felix Geyr said: "Our industry needs to…help consumers understand exactly what they should be buying and avoid marketing based solely on speed.
"It would be much more transparent if we took the same 'a la carte' approach offered to customers buying digital TV packages, where people can opt in to obtain more expensive services like film and sport."
Categories: Broadband
