Broadband News

Nine out of ten connections are now broadband

Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

In March 2008, 91.6 per cent of all UK internet connections were via a broadband line - up from 83.6 per cent the year before - according to the latest data from the office of National Statistics (ONS) (22-05-08).

The ONS’s annual broadband statistics showed that although the broadband market is slowing down, numbers are still increasing, with a 0.3 per cent rise in the three months to 31 March, down from 1.4 per cent in the previous quarter.

Continuing to decline, dial-up connections accounted for only 8.4 per cent of all UK connections in March, as yet more people switched to broadband.

Although it recognises that consumers will rarely, if ever, achieve their advertised speeds, the ONS also examined the broadband speeds on offer, and noted that “as the proportion of slower speed connections has decreased, the proportion of higher speed connections has increased”.

In March 2008, 50.5 per cent of broadband connections had an advertised maximum speed of between 2Mb and 8Mb, up from 47.1 per cent in December 2007 and 35.1 per cent in December 2006.

“Over the same period, the percentage of connections with an advertised speed of less than or equal to 2Mb decreased to 43.1 per cent in March 2008, down from 48.7 per cent in December 2007 and 62 per cent in December 2006,” said the ONS.

“Super fast” packages offering top speeds higher than 8Mb represented just 6.4 per cent in March 2008.

Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: “There is really little reason to hold onto an outdated dial-up connection these days. The broadband market has become so competitive that broadband is now as cheap, if not cheaper than its old-fashioned counterpart.

“For as little as £4.50 a month (excluding line rental) you can now enjoy all the benefits of broadband from super-fast emailing and web-browsing to internet television and music downloads,” he said.

Find the Cheapest broadband at BroadbandChoices.co.uk