Broadband News

UK broadband continues to grow

Wednesday, 27 August 2008

Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

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This year 16.4 million households had internet access, representing 56 per cent of homes - an increase of 1.2 million on 2007.

Of those households with internet access, 86 per cent had a broadband connection, with dial-up accounting for just nine per cent of internet connections.

However, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed that a third of households still do not have access to the internet, with two million saying that they have no intention of ever going on line.

The main reasons for not installing an internet connection in their homes were “not needing it”, “not understanding the technology” or “finding computers too expensive”, with a quarter of these people stating that they deliberately avoided the internet.

ONS also pointed to education as a factor that affects the digital divide; those with a degree or equivalent qualification were more likely to have the internet at home, with 93 per cent penetration, while only 56 per cent of those with no formal qualifications internet access at home.

The survey showed that 23 per cent of internet users had accessed the internet via a mobile device such as a dongle or a via a GPRS enabled phone. Mobile broadband has seen a massive boost this year and even wireless hotspots doubled in popularity - from two per cent last year to five per cent in 2008.

Richard Warmsley, T-Mobile (www.T-Mobile.co.uk) head of internet and entertainment, said: “The last year has seen mobile broadband take the Internet industry by storm. We've seen sales of mobile broadband devices soar 360 per cent in the last twelve months and over one in four of our new customers are asking for mobile broadband.

“More and more people have developed a need for being ‘always connected’ to online services which are important to them, whether it is on a laptop or on their phones.”

Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, commented. “Broadband really has become an essential part of daily life for the majority of the UK and despite a slowdown in the economy, consumers don’t seem to be able to ditch their internet connections,” he said.

“In fact, the internet is a great way to beat the credit crunch; by shopping online you can find the best deals on everything from your weekly shopping to your next holiday - something that 81 per cent of users have already discovered,” he concluded.

related article - Mobile broadband.

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