Europe-wide survey shows bundling trend and growing appetite for switching

New data was released last week in the European Commission’s latest E-Communications Household Survey, which contains the results of questions put to consumers in member states on areas ranging from the quality and different types of telephone and internet access, penetration of communication service packages, sensitivity to connection speed, affordability and the transparency of communication service pricing.

The headline on bundling is that 45% of EU households purchase a bundle of communication services, a proportion that has risen continuously over the last few years, with the Internet the service which is most likely to be purchased as part of a bundle. Bulgaria (+13) and Luxembourg (+13) saw the greatest increases in bundle purchases. Making up that 45% figure includes triple-play penetration at 16% and quad-play at 3%.

Bundles combining three services (triple play) have continued to gain ground, with the share of triple play bundles has increased by 2% since December 2011 and 10% since autumn 2007.

On switching service package providers, 42% reported that they have considered changing their bundle provider, a nine percentage point increase since the previous survey in December 2011 (33%).

These new figures are particularly interesting in light of the recent Ofcom Consultations and Statement on Switching, which I blogged on last week.