During the central pandemic period and into the following years, this operating mode was presented as a necessary compromise, yet it also introduced a slower pace in how many companies across the country rolled out their digital workplace initiatives, particularly during the summer months. A survey conducted by the internet exchange operator DE-CIX with support from Alpha Research explored the current state of internet quality in Spain and how citizens plan to use their digital work setups during the summer. The results show that 43.8% of Spaniards intend to work remotely in the summer. Of these workers, 24.7% expect to increase their remote productivity compared to last year, while 63.7% plan to maintain the same level of remote work as the previous summer.
When querying remote work habits, several notable patterns emerged. Forty-eight point nine percent of men expect to work remotely, while 45.3% anticipate they will be unable to work remotely, and 5.8% expect that restriction to apply even if they wished to work remotely. Among women, 38.7% say they can work remotely, 53.3% will not be able to, and 8% will be unable to even if they wanted to. Age analysis shows the largest interest in remote work among 18 to 29-year-olds, with 48.4% in that bracket. Geographically, the autonomous communities most inclined to remote work during the summer are Murcia at 60%, Madrid at 56%, and the Community of Valencia at 51%.
Across all Spaniards who teleworked this summer, four out of ten expressed concern about potentially poor internet connections when they travel, and many feel uncertain about where to find reliable service. This worry is more pronounced among men, with 44.5% expressing concern. As a result, 66.7% of respondents share their phone data with other devices, either most of the time or sometimes during the summer months, with 19.4% doing so frequently and 47.3% occasionally.
vacation spot
The fear of inadequate connectivity is especially heightened when trips take place in the more rural parts of Spain. A striking 69.4% of respondents report not enjoying the same quality of connection in rural areas as in the city. These findings feed into ongoing debates about depopulation and the restrictions that influence where people can live or spend their summers, even for work purposes. The survey underscores a persistent urban–rural digital divide that affects how people approach remote employment during peak vacation periods.
From the research, 37.5% of respondents indicate they work remotely one or two days a week, while 62.8% maintain a model of more than three remote days per week. The shift toward more frequent remote work is increasingly becoming a key criterion when evaluating new professional opportunities and negotiating work arrangements with employers.
Connection issues
Even as technology accelerates with rapid advances in tools like artificial intelligence, connectivity problems remain a real friction point for remote work. Fifty point seven percent of respondents report experiencing connection issues while working from home. The most common disruptions occur during video calls, which affect 43.8% of users, while 28.2% encounter trouble with business software, and 20.3% struggle to upload files to the cloud. These issues translate into tangible consequences, including reduced agility for 51.9% of workers and longer hours for 26.4%.
Geographically, the communities reporting the greatest problems are Madrid with 58%, Cantabria at 57.5%, and Navarra at 57.1%. The findings align with broader concerns about reliable nationwide broadband and the need for resilient digital infrastructure to support flexible work arrangements across all regions, urban and rural alike.