Within a set of Internet access features, such as coverage and reliability, the subscribed speed, the price paid, traffic limit and time limit, and the customer service, general satisfaction is considered to be good (with an average satisfaction of about 3 points on a scale of 1 to 4, where 1 means "not at all satisfied" and 4 means "very satisfied") regarding the three means of access - see Figure 7.
As expected, price was the Internet access service feature that drew the lowest average satisfaction, regardless of the means of Internet access. Nonetheless, the average satisfaction with the price can also be considered good, since the proportion of individuals who said they were satisfied was 69% for USB modem access, 73% for mobile phone access, and 79% for fixed access.
Figure 7 - Respondents' satisfaction levels regarding
access features, by means of Internet access
Note: Only respondents with USB modem and mobile phone accesses were asked about the satisfaction level regarding the time limit and the traffic limit.
Estimate: (#) Non-reliable estimate; (*) Reliable estimate; (unmarked) Reliable estimate.
Source: ICP-ANACOM, based on the results of the Survey on the means of access to the Internet.
The results of the survey suggest there is a greater satisfaction with the Internet service in general in regard to the fixed Internet access, compared with mobile accesses (more than 8 out of 10 respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their mobile Internet access, a share that rises to over 9 out of 10 respondents for fixed Internet), which is a significant statistical difference.
The results of ECSI 2010 (ICP-ANACOM, 2011c) regarding the national customer satisfaction indexes in the communications sector 1, had also established there was a greater satisfaction with fixed Internet in comparison to mobile Internet (7.17 and 6.88 for fixed accesses and mobile accesses, respectively, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means "not at all satisfied" and 10 means "very satisfied").
It should be noted that no relevant statistical differences were established in the satisfaction with the USB modem service in general, whether it was acquired under a Government programme, in a service package, or otherwise.
Regarding the features of the means of Internet access, in general, the average satisfaction with the features of mobile accesses, whether USB modem or mobile phone, is also lower than the average satisfaction with fixed access. The sole exception is the average satisfaction with customer care, which is similar for the different Internet access platforms.
In the case of USB modems, there was a lower satisfaction level regarding the price paid, for users that acquired that service outside a service package or a Government programme. Regarding traffic limits, users with a USB modem from an Information Society promotion programme seem to be less satisfied than the other USB modem users. It should be noted that USB modem Internet users that subscribed the service from a service package do not seem to downplay that service, even with an associated traffic limit.
Correlating these variables, it was established that the factors that apparently most influence the satisfaction levels for mobile Internet access services, whether via USB modem or mobile phone, are coverage and reliability, and the subscribed speed associated with them. The factors the mostly justify the general satisfaction with the fixed Internet service were the same as for mobile accesses.
Nonetheless, as previously mentioned, a large share of Internet users could not specify the subscribed speed of their access (68.1% for USB modem accesses, 96.1% for mobile phone accesses, and 81.0% for fixed access), or the amount paid for it - 22.8% for USB modem accesses, 50.5% for mobile phone accesses, and 31.6% for fixed access.
Considering that, as mentioned, respondents seem to be less satisfied with USB modem Internet access than with fixed access, there was an attempt to assess if the perception regarding mobile Internet gains or loses when the individual also had a fixed access. Average satisfaction with the service in general and its features was thus obtained according to the respondent's type of Internet access.
Among USB modem users, it was found that the use of a fixed access, too, generally adversely affects the rating given by the user to the USB modem access. This is because respondents' perception of the USB modem service in general is lower when they also have a fixed platform, compared with when they have no fixed access. The same was found for the average satisfaction with the price paid for the USB modem, and for the satisfaction with the traffic limit 2.
With mobile phone Internet users, only the average satisfaction with the price seems to be penalized when the user also has a fixed access.
These results seem to suggest that regarding the replacement between fixed and mobile accesses, USB modem Internet access is more readily considered a replacement for fixed Internet access than mobile phone access.
As would be expected given the above-mentioned results, in the case of fixed access, its use together with mobile accesses, regardless of the means of access, leads to the valuing of this means of access - this happens in respondents' perception of the price paid and the subscribed speed.
Furthermore, no differences were found in the satisfaction levels regarding the prices among the users with fixed Internet access within and outside a service package, and no valid statistical differences were established regarding users with a USB modem under a Government programme or outside a Government programme.
Regarding the satisfaction by service provider, while in the case of USB modems the average satisfaction, both with the service in general and with the service conditions, was statistically similar for the different providers of this type of access, in the case of fixed access and mobile phone access there were differences in the satisfaction levels for the different Internet access service providers.
Satisfaction levels of respondents in 'C' and 'NC' municipalities, for each of the three means of access and for each of the related characteristics were compared. The results suggest that there is a higher satisfaction regarding the time limit associated to mobile accesses, both via USB modem and mobile phone, among respondents in 'C' municipalities compared to those in 'NC' municipalities. Among respondents that use the mobile phone to access the Internet, satisfaction with the contracted speed and the traffic limit were also higher in 'C' municipalities.
1 ANACOM (2011c) presents the results of the indexes for image, expectations, perceived quality, perceived value, satisfaction, complaints, and loyalty, for all communications sectors in Portugal. Furthermore, Internet sector results are broken down by fixed Internet and mobile Internet. Information available at ECSI Portugal - publicados resultados de 2010https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1093742.
2 Regarding the traffic limits, this result may be partly due to the fact that in 2010, according to ICP-ANACOM (2011a), about 40% of mobile broadband offerings had no associated traffic limits, compared to a rate of 55% in the case of fixed broadband.
