Survey: No clear Euro broadband favorites

A survey indicates that large numbers of European broadband customers are switching providers and could prompt changes in the way the services are marketed.

London's Yankee Group said Tuesday that 21 percent of European customers have switched their broadband service providers in the past year, a sign that the market has settled into a competition over price rather than the levels of service being offered.

The company's third annual survey found that 21 percent of the 2,700 respondents in five European nations swapped BSPs in the past 12 months compared to 17 percent in 2004.

"BSPs need to explore ways to beat price-based competition," said Senior Analyst Jonathan Doran. "BSPs can avoid this battle by paying close attention to consumer desires including value-added services, enhanced benefits and new features."

One indication of where such services might be bolstered is in next-generation television, which generated interest from more than half of the respondents.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International