Nearly nine -in-10 (86%) of renters have Wi-Fi connectivity issues, including about 20 breakdowns a month, according to a new report from researchers at Opinium for WiredScore.
The issues are occurring even though renters are paying an average of $744 annually for their home internet service, the report added. WiredScore offers a digital connectivity rating platform for real estate.
Wi-Fi is considered critical for consumers across the globe with the economic value expected to be $3.3 trillion this year, including $1 trillion in the U.S.
The importance of Wi-Fi became evident during the last year as many people were forced to work remotely. Many of the largest tech companies are only slowly returning their employees to the office. Business executives surveyed estimated that 77% of their company’s productivity relies on employees being able to reliably connect to the internet. More than four-in-five (83 percent) companies were considering allowing employees to work remotely after the pandemic. However, more than one third (37%) of workers had sub-standard Wi-Fi at least once a week.
Work connectivity wasn’t the only issue. According to the report, streaming TV / films (43%), social media (33%) and online shopping (22%) tended to have the most connectivity issues, prompting many users to purchase additional mobile data.
Three-quarters of respondents said high quality internet access has been crucial to support their physical and mental health and social ties during the pandemic. Respondents used the internet to stay in touch with family and friends through social media (46%) and FaceTime calls (44%).
“Connectivity is critical to every aspect of our lives – social, leisure, learning, and working,” said Arie Barendrecht, WiredScore founder and CEO, in a prepared statement about the Wi-Fi connectivity issues report. “With 81 percent of respondents agreeing that building developers should strongly consider digital connectivity throughout the construction process, there is clear demand from an end user point of view.”
