Survey: Homebuyers looking for broadband speeds faster than 1Mbps

The majority of people would not buy a new home if the highest broadband connection speed on offer was just one megabit per second (Mbps), according to new research.

The figures from ISPreview.co.uk found that 75 per cent of 721 respondents would not even buy a house they really liked if the broadband speed was this low, while just over half would be willing to buy a more expensive property if the internet service was faster.

Less than seven per cent of respondents said speeds of 1Mbps were suitable for their everyday needs, while more than 60 per cent said they needed speeds higher than 4Mbps, perhaps to improve the efficiency of VoIP solutions and shorten download times.

The government is currently committed to providing every home in the UK with a broadband connection speed of 2Mbps by 2012, but these figures suggest many consumers will be looking for considerably faster speeds by that time.

Internet service providers such as BT and Virgin Media are investing large sums in next-generation broadband networks.