Millions of home workers across Britain are being hampered by unreliable internet connections, research has shown.
A report commissioned by technology company Airties revealed that four in five Britons experience broadband issues at least once a month, while some face outages and slow speeds on a weekly or even daily basis.
According to the Office for National Statistics, nearly ten million Britons, more than a quarter of the working population, are now hybrid workers who split their time between home and the office. A further five million work entirely remotely.
But the study found that many of these workers struggle with unreliable connections, causing frustration for employers, colleagues and customers.
Around 79 per cent of respondents said they suffered wifi problems at least once a month, seven per cent reported weekly issues, and 1.2 million reportedly experienced disruptions every day.
Slow browsing speeds were the most common complaint, followed by devices disconnecting from the network. More than half of those surveyed said their video calls frequently froze.
Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative Party leader, urged broadband providers to take action.
“The infrastructure is there but we have to find ways to make broadband more reliable in the home,” he told The Times. “There are simply too many hours being lost and the prize for solving this problem is much-needed improved economic growth.”
Industry experts said that while telecoms companies have poured billions into fibre optic networks, the final challenge lies in ensuring stable connections inside homes.
Metin Taskin, chief executive of Airties, said: “There is little understanding about what’s happening inside the home when it comes to wifi. This is a challenge for the industry and a source of daily frustration for consumers.
“With the right software solutions in place, the UK can finally give customers the experience they deserve.”
The survey found that 71 per cent of respondents had contacted their provider about connectivity problems, yet only 24 per cent had switched suppliers.
A separate study by Which? found that Zen Internet, Plusnet and Utility Warehouse scored highest for reliability, each earning four out of five stars for customer satisfaction.
A Which? spokesperson said: “If you’re with one of the big four of Virgin Media, Talk Talk, Sky or BT, it’s worth exploring whether there isn’t another available provider that deserves your custom more. Our research shows that the grass really can be greener.”
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