Bundled communications plans are popular in Europe, with 42% of households subscribing to them.

 

Around 41% of households questioned in a new EU barometer survey said bundles offered the advantage of a single service provider, while 33% believed bundles led to greater overall savings.

 

Survey results showed 61% of all internet access plans and half of fixed telephony services were purchased as part of a bundle, although some 16% of respondents indicated bundles offered unnecessary services while another 10% raised concerns regarding the conditions of bundled services.

 

The survey, which covered some 27,000 European households between 9 February and 8March this year, showed few households on bundled plans (comprising Internet, phone and TV) were inclined to grab competitive offers, with only 8% of households having switched service provider, while 60% of households had never thought of switching.

 

Obstacles to switching consumers voiced included temporary loss of service, the fear of having to pay for more than one provider during a switching process and lack of clarity on the switching process.

 

Further results from the survey showed that 1 in 4 respondents did not think their uplink and downlink Internet speeds matched advertised speeds, while 1 in 3 reported experiencing connection failures. Approximately a quarter of respondents also reported difficulties with connecting to a mobile network, and a similar proportion reported having been cut off during a call.