YouGov to examine broadband and VoIP services

Polling organisation YouGov is to conduct what it calls the UK's first analysis of both customer satisfaction and actual service levels in the broadband market.

The company, which will carry out the research in partnership with internet speed measurement specialist Epitiro, said a consumer panel of around 300,000 people will be involved in the study.

Among the applications and activities that will be covered by its report are web-surfing, video streaming and hosted telephony.

Users will be asked to give their opinions on issues such as value, performance and overall satisfaction.

YouGov head of consumer, technology and telecoms consulting Marek Vaygelt said: "As consumers become more tech-savvy and willing to churn, ISPs need to manage both subscriber satisfaction and network performance."

The findings of the Broadband Report are expected to be published in the first quarter of 2011.

In related news, a recent poll by BE Wholesale found that almost three-quarters (72 per cent) of British businesses think their competitiveness would be improved by having a faster, more reliable internet connection.