Elite wired, masses reluctant
As PCs with net access have been a common sight in every Polish enterprise for several years now, internet providers turn their eye on home users. Private access shows the strongest growth dynamics. More than 10 percent of the population has plugged in during the last 12 months, and roughly half of this group already enjoys various types of broadband connection.
Those prophesying instant growth of the digital community could easily be mistaken though. The latest market research has revealed that 42 percent of users connect to the web with slow and inefficient dial-up modems. The Internet is expanding, but mainly among the elite living in cities, with high incomes and university degrees. Moreover, Poles are not as tech-savvy as their western colleagues. Two thirds of internet users have no idea as to the speed of their own home connection and just 10 percent of them shop online. The most discouraging news for internet providers is that roughly 70 percent of respondents using dial-up are "not interested in installing broadband."
A financial advisor specializing in the IT market from PKO BP, Michał Janik claims that only one factor is now significant for the Internet market growth: GDP per capita.
"Customers are willing to spend no more than zł.50 monthly for broadband services. There is no single offer on the market with such prices," he says. In other words, either society grows in wealth or prices fall-both of which are unlikely to occur in the near future. In this context, national telecom TP S.A.'s policy of slashing prices, with the basic broadband package for zł.71, might still not be enough. Sixty-eight percent of respondents claim they would spend more time online if not for the high costs. At the same time just 8 percent can afford to spend above zł.100 for Internet access monthly. A negative psychological factor also plays a role in consumers' habits.
Head of Research at Ispos Poland, Artur Nierychlewski explains: "People are always reluctant to make a long-term financial commitment."
Poland's situation does not differ much from those of other post-communist countries. A report on Digital Access Index published last year by the UN assigned the same value (0.59) to, among others, Poland, Croatia and Slovakia, which qualified them for the "advanced access" category. n
Those prophesying instant growth of the digital community could easily be mistaken though. The latest market research has revealed that 42 percent of users connect to the web with slow and inefficient dial-up modems. The Internet is expanding, but mainly among the elite living in cities, with high incomes and university degrees. Moreover, Poles are not as tech-savvy as their western colleagues. Two thirds of internet users have no idea as to the speed of their own home connection and just 10 percent of them shop online. The most discouraging news for internet providers is that roughly 70 percent of respondents using dial-up are "not interested in installing broadband."
A financial advisor specializing in the IT market from PKO BP, Michał Janik claims that only one factor is now significant for the Internet market growth: GDP per capita.
"Customers are willing to spend no more than zł.50 monthly for broadband services. There is no single offer on the market with such prices," he says. In other words, either society grows in wealth or prices fall-both of which are unlikely to occur in the near future. In this context, national telecom TP S.A.'s policy of slashing prices, with the basic broadband package for zł.71, might still not be enough. Sixty-eight percent of respondents claim they would spend more time online if not for the high costs. At the same time just 8 percent can afford to spend above zł.100 for Internet access monthly. A negative psychological factor also plays a role in consumers' habits.
Head of Research at Ispos Poland, Artur Nierychlewski explains: "People are always reluctant to make a long-term financial commitment."
Poland's situation does not differ much from those of other post-communist countries. A report on Digital Access Index published last year by the UN assigned the same value (0.59) to, among others, Poland, Croatia and Slovakia, which qualified them for the "advanced access" category. n
