Internet broadband 'expensive but good'

The majority of broadband internet subscribers believe they are forking out too much for their connection but a significant 82 per cent are satisfied with the service, a survey commissioned by the Malta Communications Authority has shown.

A total of 45.3 per cent of respondents said they considered the price of broadband to be "expensive" and 16.4 per cent "very expensive", echoing the findings of a recent MCA survey on mobile phones.

Nearly a third said the tariff was moderate and just one per cent deemed it cheap.

The Consumer Perception Survey captures information on consumer trends with a special focus on broadband services provided in Malta.

Despite their dissatisfaction with tariffs, the majority (67.2 per cent) said they would not switch to dial-up if the price of broadband increases by five to 10 per cent.

A total of 18.4 per cent said they would switch to dial-up if prices were increased and 14 per cent said they did not know.

Just under 40 per cent of respondents (39.4 per cent) said they had internet at home. Of those who had a dial-up connection, 25.2 per cent were connected via ADSL and 26.6 per cent had cable internet.

The vast majority of those that do not have internet at home said that nobody at home needed it or else did not know how to use it.

Asked why they would not consider upgrading to broadband, 47.8 per cent said they hardly used the internet while 30.8 per cent deemed it too expensive.

Speed seems to be an essential factor for ADSL users, with 34.3 per cent saying it was the main characteristic in choosing their internet service provider.

A quarter of respondents said they chose their particular ISP because there were no internet disconnections while 21 per cent said that "reasonable price" was the determining factor.

The majority do not think it is difficult to change from ADSL to cable internet. 17.4 per cent of those who did find it difficult said they were not keen on changing their e-mail address.

A total of 59.2 per cent said they were satisfied with their current broadband internet connection, 22.9 per cent said they were very satisfied and 4.5 per cent said they were not satisfied.