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Story URL: http://networks.silicon.com/broadband/0,39024661,39169817,00.htm

Brits suffering fat pipe rage
Have you got the broadband blues?

By Natasha Lomas

Published: Friday 25 January 2008

Firing up fat pipes is inducing techno-rage in many UK broadband customers, according to a survey commissioned by O2 Broadband.

The list from A to Z

Click on the links below to find out more...

A is for ADSL
B is for BT
C is for Cable & Wireless
D is for Dial-up
E is for Education
F is for Fibre
G is for Goonhilly
H is for HSDPA
I is for In-flight
J is for Janet
K is for Kingston
L is for Landlines
M is for Murdoch
N is for Next generation
O is for Ofcom
P is for Power lines
Q is for Quad-play
R is for Remote working
S is for Satellite phones
T is for Trains
U is for Unbundling
V is for VoIP
W is for WiMax
X is for Xbox
Y is for YouTube
Z is for Zombies

More than half (56 per cent) of Brits polled admit broadband issues have made them lose their rag with their hardware.

Broadband consumers in Cardiff are most likely to get techno-rage, according to the survey, while users in Bristol are the most dissatisfied with their service. Nearly a quarter of users there said they plan to switch broadband providers in the next three to six months.

Speed tops the list of fat pipe frustrations, with nearly a quarter of respondents saying sluggish connections are the most annoying thing about their broadband service.

This is in line with a report last year by price comparison website uSwitch, which found nearly four million broadband users are unhappy with the speed of their connection and that the average customer pays £213 per year to receive a speed of 5Mbps but in reality receives only 3Mbps.

But the UK's fat pipe-related frustrations don't stop at speed, according to the latest survey. Customer service is also a pain in the proverbial for many broadband Brits - with 20 per cent of respondents saying they have difficulty getting through to their provider, and the majority describing being put on hold as one of the most stressful situations of daily life.

Meanwhile, more than one million Brits are spending at least six hours setting up or troubleshooting their service, with one in five having to contact their provider at least three times to resolve problems.

The survey also found the most tech savvy broadband consumers live in Brighton, while Sheffield dwellers are statistically most likely to need help setting up or managing their service.

The survey was based on the responses of 1,500 broadband users across the UK.