Subscriber annoyance with less-than-pristine WiFi in their homes can lead to expensive trouble calls for service providers. That’s one of the reasons that some operators have considered offering more stable WiFi options to subscribers from the get-go to avoid the likelihood of having to dispatch a technician and roll a truck.
A new survey commissioned by AirTies reports that 78 percent of consumers questioned in the United States and the United Kingdom indicated they would prefer if their ISP provided them with their in-home WiFi networking gear vs. purchasing it themselves. The research included 1,050 U.S. and U.K. respondents with multiple WiFi users per home and was conducted by Qualtrics. Around 43 percent of consumers surveyed reported having areas in their home or apartment where internet service does not work, and 54 percent said they have called their ISP to complain about their home internet or WiFi.
One of the most interesting findings of the survey was that 74 percent of respondents reported they would consider upgrading to a faster tier of internet service if they were ensured better speed and coverage in every room of their home or apartment, and 77 percent said they would be willing to pay an extra monthly fee for better WiFi.
More specifically, 68 percent of respondents indicated they would pay between $5-$10 (or 4-8 pounds) per month extra for improved in-home WiFi. Additionally, 67 percent said they would consider purchasing small, extra WiFi access points (APs) – in addition to the router they currently have – to place around their homes for better speeds and coverage, but 78 percent of respondents noted they would prefer their ISP provide in-home WiFi routers/hardware instead.
“When most consumers think about their own home internet experience, they don’t view WiFi as something separate. This is why they are quick to call or blame their ISPs for performance issues,” AirTies CEO Philippe Alcaras comments. “Improving this experience shouldn’t be the responsibility of consumers or third-party retailers, but rather their ISPs. In fact, the vast majority of consumers would prefer that, and would consider paying extra for a premium WiFi experience that works in every corner of their home.”
The research also showed that respondents ranked home internet/broadband service as more important than pay TV or home telephone service with 63 percent placing it #1. Less than 20 percent of those surveyed ranked either TV or home phone as being most important. More than nine in 10 (92 percent) of the survey takers reported they stream video on WiFi connected devices in their homes. And when it comes to the number of devices they have, 70 percent of consumers who were asked reported having at least five WiFi devices (such as smartphones, connected TVs, and tablets) in their home, 58 percent said between 5-10 devices, and 11 percent have between 10-15 devices.
Alcaras says that his company believes better in-home WiFi systems will follow a similar history to the DVR. “Service providers eventually recognized the need to offer DVRs to subscribers to improve the customer experience, instead of ceding this responsibility and opportunity to third-party retailers,” he notes.
