Small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) frequently encounter problems with their broadband service but only a small proportion complain or change provider, according to a new study.

Research by analyst firm Quocirca found that around one in three firms encounter difficulty connecting to broadband, while 29 per cent claim they receive a lower performance than they expected.

However, 88 per cent of SMBs plan to stay with their current providers despite 72 per cent citing reliability as the most important factor when choosing business broadband.

Chris Stening, managing director of Easynet Connect, called on firms to take action to improve service levels.

He said: "SMBs should be as demanding as consumers in ensuring that they are getting the right kind of service coupled with flexibility and reliability so that they are able to focus their attention on their individual business challenges."

More than half (53%) of SMBs expect to spend more on broadband, while 39 per cent expect expenditure to remain at a similar level.