Broadband speed becomes key factor in UK home purchases, says Rightmove

In the UK, a slow broadband connection could drive would-be buyers away from purchasing a new property, reports TechWeek Europe, citing a survey conducted by Rightmove, an online property portal.

A recent survey of 3,000 Rightmove customers revealed that having information about a property's broadband options "was ranked as a more important feature than information regarding transport links and nearby schools."

After conducting a two-month trial, Rightmove said that it now will provide information about broadband speeds in its property listings.

"We already offer a number of tools to help consumers make informed decisions about a property including local schools and transport links, and we're pleased to be the first to add data on broadband, something that has become ingrained in people's lives and an important factor when choosing a home," Bernard Phillips, head of consumer platforms at Rightmove, told TechWeek Europe

Users looking at a property's page on Rightmove will be able to access a speedometer-style display that shows that location's average broadband speed. It will also inform users if they can get access to a higher speed VDSL2 or fiber to the home (FTTH) connection from BT (NYSE: BT) or a competitor like TalkTalk (LSE: TALK).

Already, the addition of this new feature has proven to be popular, attracting 400,000 page views a month.

For more:
- TechWeek Europe has this article

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