2009-11-09 09:40:01 - The latest survey of over 700 www.ISPreview.co.uk readers, an impartial independent consumer information site covering broadband providers, reveals that three quarters of people in the UK would not buy a house if the fastest broadband ISP speed it could achieve was just 1Mbps.

(www.ISPreview.co.uk, UK, London) – The results from 721 respondents to ISPreview.co.uk's latest survey reveal that 75% of people would not buy a house, even a lovely one, if the best broadband ISP speed it could achieve was just 1Mbps. In addition, 51% would be willing to pay more for a house with "faster" broadband.

Some 61.7% of those surveyed said that the minimum broadband speed they require would be "More than 4Mbps", with just 20.8% voting for 4Mbps itself, 10.8% voting for 2Mbps and a measly 6.6% saying they'd settle for 1Mbps. Failing that, the most attractive alternative method to a fixed land-line broadband connection was found to be a Fixed Wireless (Wi-Fi) service (52.5%), followed by Mobile Broadband (28.4%) and

Satellite on just 19%.

"Consumers clearly place a significant emphasis on broadband performance, so much so that an overwhelming majority would even be willing to give up on an almost perfect dream home in favour of a cosmetically less attractive one that received faster speeds," commented ISPreview.co.uk's Editor and Founder, Mark Jackson. "The results could have profound implications because many slower homes are often found in remote and rural locations that reside further from their local telephone exchange, hinting at the potential for a greater exodus into urban environments (towns and cities) where speeds are higher and prices lower."

"Estate agents have long voiced the importance of broadband equipped homes, though few may have recognised that modern demand also requires the service to be fast, affordable and flexible. This highlights the importance of being able to deliver speeds of more than double the current government target, which is committed to delivering a minimum 2Mbps broadband speed to everybody by 2012. This may now simply end up being too little, too late," concluded Jackson.