2 in 3 Europeans think WiFi as important as electricity and gas
- Domestic WiFi usage increases as households look to stay connected, safe and on top of it all.
- 68% increase in working from home as post-pandemic work/lifestyle patterns leave a legacy.
- Almost two-thirds of householders consider Wi-Fi as important as electricity and gas.
- Half expect wireless connectivity to reach every corner of the house.
New research has revealed that households across Europe have rapidly shifted to permanent ‘digital-first’ lifestyles in the wake of the global pandemic – with high-quality, reliable and secure WiFi now considered critical for wireless work, entertainment and social connectivity in the home.
Households in Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK were surveyed by Kantar for Vodafone in February 2022. With homes in Europe having up to nine Wi-Fi-enabled devices, three-quarters of householders agreed that the provision of reliable WiFi was their number one requirement. Four in five households where someone works from home regarded WiFi to be as important as electricity and gas, with the same number of home workers saying they couldn’t work at all without WiFi.
With an increase of more than 68% in home working, as post-pandemic work/lifestyle patterns persist, Vodafone found that households were balancing the competing demands for professional, personal and entertainment wireless connectivity.
- WiFi coverage is now expected to be everywhere in the home – Two-thirds of households say that they valued the ability to connect over WiFi anywhere in their property and not just in living areas near their WiFi router. 50% of European households expected Wi-Fi to be available in every room of their house.
- Domestic Wi-Fi consumption continues to rise – 80% of households said they needed Wi-Fi more at home. The use of it to make video calls has also increased by 79% over the last couple of years. At the same time, nine out of ten households have attempted to tackle wireless connectivity challenges themselves without contacting their router provider’s helpdesk.
- Secured Wi-Fi is a secured home – almost three-quarters of households said that wireless security is as important to them as locking the front door.
Commenting on the research, Daniel Lambrou, Head of Broadband, Vodafone UK, says:
“The last two years have seen a dramatic shift in-home connectivity demands, as ‘digital’ lifestyles combined with growth of home working, streaming entertainment and smart devices in every room of the house.
“Vodafone’s Pro Broadband delivers reliable Wi-Fi in every room, guaranteed with remote optimisation via the cloud for the best connection, and a dedicated team of Wi-Fi Xperts.”
