Over a quarter of Belgians (28%) are considering changing their internet provider in the next 12 months. The most important reason is they find the costs of their current subscription too high. Young people under 35 are the most likely to want to switch (39%), and more often because they are dissatisfied with the quality of their connection, new research by Telecompaper shows.
The figures come from a representative survey conducted in September by the Telecompaper Consumer Insights panel. It shows that customers at Scarlet, Proximus' low-cost brand, are the most loyal, with only 18 percent saying they intend to change ISP in the coming year. Voo has the highest share of customers planning a move, at 33 percent, likely due to the operator’s ongoing integration with Orange. The latest reports suggest the Voo brand may disappear within the next year, and customers will have to move to Orange plans.
Telenet customers seeking lower prices, little interest in fibre
The 12-month churn intention rate was the same at the three biggest operators in Belgium – Proximus, Telenet and Orange. However, there was a noticeable difference in reasons among those who are planning a switch. One in five Telenet customers said they plan to leave the operator in the next 12 months because the current prices are too high. The cable operator increases prices every year, and the annual rate hike was earlier this year, in April rather than the usual July. This has contributed to stagnating growth at Telenet, with a small drop in its customer base over the past year, Telecompaper's quarterly report 'Belgian Total Communications Market' shows.
At Orange, 8 percent of customers said they would consider switching in the next year due to poor Wi-Fi. That compares to 5 percent of people in the overall market who see better Wi-Fi as a reason to switch. This is particularly a problem for the 18-34 age group, where 10 percent said they want to change ISP for better Wi-Fi. That is the second most common reason to switch for this age group, after price.
For Proximus customers, the most common reason to consider a switch is the current subscription is too costly (16%). Despite Proximus' steadily growing FTTH footprint, fibre is not yet a big pull for new customers. Only 2 percent of consumers in the overall market say switching to fibre is a reason to change provider in the next year. The interest in fibre is slightly higher among Orange customers and the 35-49 age group (3%), perhaps as this age group is more likely to live in a household with children, where a fast, reliable connection is required for several people.
