Consumers and businesses are increasingly demanding faster connectivity speeds, a panel discussion found. However, not all parts of society can keep up.
The second panel discussion at the State of Connectivity talk at Luxembourg Internet Days examined emerging trends from consumers when it comes to connectivity.
“It’s the speed that customers want and opt for,” explained head of project management and marketing at Post Telecom Serge Eiffes, adding: “1 GB offers are the new normal for fixed connectivity customers. In fact, more than 60% of our customers will choose internet speeds of over 500 MB now.” Meanwhile, 5GB has become the standard for mobile networks.
The trend among SMEs is towards packages including connectivity, voice, collaboration and security, while larger enterprises using cloud products are pushing for connectivity speeds of up to 10GB and for point to point (securely connecting two locations) 100GB is the standard. Encryption and secure connectivity are, meanwhile, among the emerging trends the company is seeing.
Adapting to the market
Changing customer habits and technological developments mean that telco providers have had to adapt in recent years in order to remain competitive. Eltrona, which holds 34.3% of the Luxembourg market for TV, has pivoted away from pure TV services towards internet connectivity because of the trend for on-demand and streaming services over traditional TV.
At the same time, telecom providers must be aware of the struggles of older generations when it comes to accessing connectivity services. “These generations grew up speaking on the phone and being told to stop talking because it’s getting expensive. Now ChatGPT can write a letter for you,” Mara Kroth, founder of GoldenMe, a not-for-profit helping older people adopt digital tools, said, adding: “They feel excluded. There’s curiosity, of course, and they are sceptical and a little bit afraid because they don’t understand everything that’s happening.”
Video tutorials
GoldenMe organises workshops, smartphone cafés and in 2024 will launch a series of video tutorials tackling some of the most commonly asked questions from their cohort. Companies can also help. “Always offer support not only online, but offline too. And provide information in simple language.” said Kroth, adding: “We live in a time of information overload. Everyone would benefit from that.”
Eltrona CTO Nico Binsfeld acknowledged the difficulties of older generations when faced with growing complexity around connectivity. He explained that his company has adapted by offering specific products for this cohort such as simplified remote controls. “These are little things we can do because these have been long-term customers and we want to keep them,” Binsfeld said.
