Norway - Younger people expect higher quality Internet service and are willing to upgrade to faster services

[broadband tv news] Norwegians under the age of 30 expect a much higher quality from their internet service and have a greater willingness to upgrade to a higher speed than their older counterparts.

The findings of the survey conducted on behalf of Kabel Norge by research organisations Norstat and Madigan found the under 30s to be generally more discerning. “We see that the Norwegians’ broadband use increases very sharply and annual growth is now over 60%. This means that the whole industry is facing major investments to deliver high enough bandwidth for everyone,” said Kabel Norge chairman Øyvind Husby.

The survey was taken following the recent online coverage by public broadcaster NRK of the World Skiing Championships. The webcasts came in for criticism over concerns it was slowing down access to the internet in Norway.

44% of all Norwegians saw some of the webcasts during the championship. Among Norwegians under 30 the share was 54%, while the percentage decreased to 38% among Norwegians over 50.

While 61% aged over 50 found the quality of the broadcasts were “good – as good as regular TV,” was less than half (47%) of those under 30 were just as happy. The group found that the majority of the connections were of “variable” or “poor quality”.
One surprise is the greater willingness of Norwegians under 30 to pay for good quality broadband, this despite the fact that younger people predominantly have lower incomes. 22% say they are willing to pay more to secure increased broadband capacity, compared with only 15% of Norwegians over 50.

“This shows that the younger ones are both more critical of quality and value broadband higher,” commented Husby. “At the same time it shows that increased investment in networks and infrastructure to deliver higher capacity and better quality can not solely funded by end users, “says Husby.

While 52% of the population says there demand on the internet is increasing, the proportion of the group under 30 is at 62 per cent. The need decreases gradually with age. 45 per cent aged over 50 years sees there need for the internet will stay unchanged.

Younger Norwegians demanding more from broadband