One in three households can't access WiFi in every room of their home, new research suggests
One in three UK households has spots where the WiFi doesn’t work, new research suggests.
A survey by broadband provider Zen Internet found that 33% of households have WiFi “not-spots, forcing them to move around the house to get signal.
The poll found that 18% say they move their router to try and avoid blackspots and get better signal, while 26% said they avoid certain rooms in their home when trying to get online because of connectivity issues.
The research comes as the Labour Party announced plans to offer free, full-fibre broadband to every home and business in the UK by 2033 by bringing parts of BT into public ownership if it wins the General Election.
Labour will make broadband fast and free for everybody, in every home, in every corner of our country.
This is real change.https://t.co/2RO8aI3CkJ— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) November 14, 2019
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who dismissed the plans as a “crazed communist scheme”, previously said the Conservatives want to introduce similar levels of broadband to the whole country by 2025 – eight years ahead of a 2033 target set by Theresa May’s government.
According to Ofcom figures published in May, average broadband speeds received by UK households had risen by almost 20% in the last 12 months.
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Among the UK internet users who took part in the Zen’s research, 21% said they believed the cause of poor connectivity was using multiple devices at once, while 22% said their internet provider was to blame for poor signal in parts of their home.
The research also found that 15% of UK households have invested in a WiFi signal extender to improve signal in “not-spots” around their home.
Zen Internet chief executive Paul Stobart said: “With WiFi connectivity throughout the home now an expected requirement for modern-day living, it’s unacceptable that families are still struggling to connect to their WiFi in whatever room they want.
“It’s the responsibility of the broadband industry to ensure consumers have the best service possible and this includes providing the tools to deliver this.”
