Almost 60 per cent of households found that their broadband speed was lower than the one advertised by their service provider when they tested it, according to a Malta Communications Authority survey published on Wednesday.

Yet just 18 per cent of respondents with a fixed broadband connection say they actually tested their download speed.

Household respondents were generally unaware that they could test their download speeds via online applications, the MCA said.

Almost a third of respondents stated that internet download speed was one of their top concerns when making a decision, although price was ultimately the deal breaker.

Despite this, only 28 per cent are actually aware of the headline download speed supported by their connection. This lack of awareness has been observed consistently, even in surveys carried out in 2013 and 2015. Nevertheless, the 2017 figure concerning headline download speed awareness represents an improvement, up from 19 per cent in 2013.

A total of 94% of households had access to fixed broadband in 2017, a 17 percentage point increase over the 2015 survey.

The Malta Communications Authority said that those who do not have access to fixed broadband say that this is because the service is unnecessary or ‘too complicated to use’.

Compared to 2015, the 2017 survey findings show a big rise in the proportion of households owning fast and ultra-fast broadband connections. In the former case, a 23 percentage point increase has been registered, while in the latter case an 18 percentage point increase was recorded.

The MCA has been regularly carrying out the Consumer Perception Surveys on a two-yearly interval since 2008.