Small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) frequently encounter broadband issues, yet few switch or complain.

According to a recent report, many small and mid sized UK businesses prefer to show a stiff upper lip and put up with poor broadband service and connectivity, rather than making complaints or switching to another provider. Research conducted by analyst firm Quocirca found that around one in three firms encounter difficulty connecting to broadband, while 29% claim they receive a lower performance than they expected.

Whilst the research showed that a third of SMBs suffered problems with their broadband only one tenth of these would consider switching their service provider according to the results of the research. The report also showed that 29% of respondents said that their Internet connection performed below standard from time to time. 88% of SMBs plan to stay with their current providers despite 72% citing reliability as the most important factor when choosing business broadband. More than half (53%) of SMBs expect to spend more on broadband, while 39% expect expenditure to remain at a similar level.

Chris Stening, managing director of Easynet Connect, called on firms to take action to improve service levels: "The internet is now at the heart of making a business a success but poor service levels and lack of support are currently being tolerated - this should not be the case". He went on to say: "SMBs should be as demanding as consumers in ensuring that they are getting the right kind of service coupled with flexibility and reliability so that they are able to focus their attention on their individual business challenges."