Rightmove to list broadband speeds at all its homes
October 26, 2013
Rightmove, the UK’s largest property website, has launched a new service to show typical broadband speeds at each of the 1 million plus homes listed on its website. The data for this service is provided by broadband research company Point Topic, who map broadband availability across the whole of Europe.
A study conducted by broadbandchoices.co.uk suggested homebuyers rank a fast broadband connection as more important than off-street parking and local amenities. Broadband is also typically one of the first new services that homebuyers activate when moving in – ahead of gas and TV, and second to only electricity.
Bernard Phillips, Head of Consumer Platforms at Rightmove, said: “We’re always looking at new ways to help home movers make the most informed decisions possible when choosing their next property, whether that’s providing information about local schools, transport links or broadband speeds. Our research tells us that home movers find it incredibly useful to know these things in advance and so we’re fascinated to see how they engage with the data from Point Topic.”
Rightmove is trialling broadband data alongside the typical information displayed about properties. If the data proves a hit with home movers during the two month test, the feature is likely to become permanent in January 2014.
Oliver Johnson, CEO at Point Topic, said: “Broadband is becoming one of the most important considerations for prospective buyers. We hope that having quick and easy access to this data will be a huge benefit to Rightmove’s users. Point Topic is very pleased to be partnering with Rightmove on this application.”
The application will show the typical speeds provided by copper broadband services and what a user should expect to be able to do at these speeds. For people who want faster services, Rightmove shows whether superfast services are available from BT Openreach or Virgin Media or smaller providers such as Hyperoptic, KCOM or Gigaclear. It also provides a full list of providers in the area and the services that they offer.