Zen Internet's 2019 Predictions

Zen Internet

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Throughout 2018 there have been more and more stories about how consumers are locked into contracts by big brands, who initially offer great deals and then dramatically increase prices later in the contract.

One industry that is particularly guilty of this is broadband, where the ‘Big Four’ lock customers into contracts while often failing to provide the quality of service they promise.

Looking at the growing pushback from consumers against the worst brands that put profit first, Andrew Fryatt, MD of Zen, is predicting that in 2019 consumers will have more control over their contracts, as the industry looks to rebuild the trust it’s lost due to poor practices.

Andrew said: “Next year, consumers will have more control over Internet Service Providers (ISPs), with rules like auto-compensation and notifications of impending contracts ends coming into effect.

“This will force the industry to focus on providing the best service possible for consumers, rather than just making a quick profit.

“We’ll also see consumers given a clear indication of the true amount they’re paying for broadband with the end of fixed phone lines, meaning people will no longer need a telephone line in their house to receive broadband. Put simply, 2019 is the year ISPs will be more accountable to consumers.”

Justin Fielder, Chief Technology Officer of Zen said: “2019 will be the year businesses’ over reliance on the network and the connectivity it delivers will come to a head, particularly for small companies.

“As more businesses transition everything to the cloud, their reliance on the network always being available increases.

“Just one example is the increasing move from cash to card based transactions that is especially happening around contactless transactions in places like coffee shops andboutiques – if there is no backup in place for their connectivity an outage could essentially stop a business dead as many customers no longer carry cash on them.

“For those that plead blissful ignorance and don’t put the necessary precautions in place the pain could be huge or even fatal. Thankfully there are solutions like SD-WAN which delivers enterprise grade connectivity with seamless backups across 4G which can solve this conundrum, but woe betide companies that don’t actually think carefully about their network connectivity.”