Study on Internet Service User Habits and Satisfaction in 2025: Stable Patterns, Gradual Technological Shifts, and Moderate Growth in Satisfaction

ZAGREB, 30 January 2026 - The Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM) has published its annual study on the usage habits and satisfaction of users of electronic communications services in 2025. Conducted on a representative sample of 1,000 respondents, the research was carried out on HAKOM’s behalf by 4 Market Research Ltd in November 2025. The report indicates that core user habits have remained largely unchanged over the past three years, while gradual shifts are evident in internet access technologies, the mix of services utilised, and levels of user satisfaction.

Service Usage: Stable Preferences with Declining IPTV and Growing Household Mobile Internet

Surveyed users continue to rely primarily on mobile voice services and internet access via both mobile and fixed networks, with around 80 per cent of respondents using these services.

Compared with 2023, IPTV usage has declined from 44 per cent to 35 per cent, while the use of household mobile internet (including Homebox, home wireless internet, and similar technologies) has risen from 34 per cent to 40 per cent over the same period. The trend of declining fixed-line voice service usage has also persisted, falling from 56 per cent to 48 per cent.

The majority of respondents (77 per cent) access the internet as part of a bundled service package, and 91 per cent report that they have all the services they require - a significant indicator of demand-side satisfaction.

Access Technologies: Continued Growth in Fibre Connections

The study confirms a continued increase in the adoption of fibre-optic infrastructure, while ADSL/VDSL and cable technologies are declining. This aligns with market data and reflects ongoing infrastructure development and broader fibre availability.

Internet Speeds and User Perception

The proportion of users with internet speeds below 30 Mbit/s continues to decrease. However, 37 per cent of respondents remain unaware of their connection speed, a figure that has remained stable over the years. Among users with speeds below 100 Mbit/s, 39 per cent report that higher speeds are unnecessary, and almost 70 per cent find their current speed sufficient for more demanding multimedia applications - although this share is lower than in the previous year.

Awareness and utilisation of the HAKOMetar and HAKOMetarPlus applications have grown more slowly than in previous periods. There has also been a slight increase in the proportion of users willing to pay more for higher internet speeds compared with earlier years.

Prices and Willingness to Switch Operators

In the event of a 10 per cent increase in service prices, 27 per cent of users stated that they would definitely or probably switch operators, a figure significantly lower than in 2024.
 
The study confirms that lower competitor prices remain the most common reason for changing operators. However, price reductions need to exceed 10 per cent to motivate the majority of users to switch.

User Satisfaction and Customer Support

User satisfaction with fixed internet services stands at approximately 70 per cent, showing a clear positive trend, while satisfaction with household mobile internet is around 65 per cent, also exhibiting gradual improvement. Most users have had at least one experience contacting customer support. Users are generally more satisfied with the quality of responses than with the speed of reply. Around 70 per cent of respondents reported being satisfied or mostly satisfied with the quality of customer service responses, reflecting a positive trend over the past three years.

Internet and Communication Service Usage Habits

Compared with the previous year, a smaller proportion of respondents reported using social networks, video and audio streaming services, and digital publications, while chat applications and video calls remain the most common forms of communication.Traditional voice calls are used daily by around 28 per cent of respondents, and SMS messages are used daily by approximately 20 per cent, primarily for security authentication purposes. Among messaging and calling applications, WhatsApp, Viber, and Facebook Messenger continue to dominate.

Online Safety

Negative experiences online, including cyberattacks or harassment, were reported by around 15 per cent and 16 per cent of respondents, respectively, in 2025. Compared with the previous year, a higher proportion of users reported experiencing negative incidents, which were most often reported to the police or the platforms on which the incidents occurred.

The full survey results are available via the link provided.