New research from Parks Associates shows more than half of the 94% of Americans with WiFi report having internet problems. In fact, problems with broadband service have pushed more than 12 million consumers to ditch their connection completely and rely solely on cellular data for their internet needs.
While turning on your phone’s hotspot to power laptops and Connected TVs is an option, you might run into trouble with data caps. Cellular phone plans have much lower high-speed data usage caps than broadband services, so it’s likely streaming video content will drain your data quickly. And adding on extra GBs of data to your plan can get pricey.
Nevertheless, broadband internet customers are fed up with their service for a variety of reasons, the main one being the cost, followed by slow service speeds.
“High cost is the most prominent issue driving households to cut the cord and go mobile-only, although service-related issues, from slow speeds to poor customer experience, also contribute,” analyst Kristen Hanich said in a statement.
Other problems cited for canceling home broadband service include unreliability, poor customer service, and technical and billing issues. It seems that adding mesh networking products that would improve Wi-Fi coverage would be a simple fix. In fact, 75% of households who are likely to switch ISPs say they would stick to their current provider if these options were offered.
Reliable high-speed internet is a necessity now more than ever, accelerated by the pandemic. More people are working from home, children have at-home, online school, and streaming is on the rise.
“In September 2020, 9% of broadband households had upgraded their home’s broadband service in the previous 12 months, and the COVID-19 crisis was the main reason for 80% of those upgrades,” Hanich said.