Broadband Boom Hits 4 Million UK Households
Broadband Britain is rapidly becoming a reality with almost 4 million UK households opting for a high-speed internet connection, according to the latest research carried out by media-super regulator Ofcom.
The figures show that broadband access in the UK topped the 3.9 million mark in the first three months of this year with more than 40,000 people switching to a high-speed internet connection each week.
The growth in the broadband market has been driven in part by increased competition with internet service providers slashing their prices in an effort to tempt narrowband users to upgrade their connection.
Telewest recently cut the price of its entry-level broadband package to £12.99 per month, making it the cheapest option for those wanting high-speed internet access. AOL joined the escalating price war after reducing the cost of an always-on connection to £19.99 a month and NTL also announced a raft of price cuts (see Telewest Drops Broadband Price To Lowest In Market).
The strategy appears appears to be working and Ofcom’s research shows that the decline in the use of narrowband services continued in the first three months of this year. Around 67% of adults currently connect to the internet via a dial-up connection, down from 73% in November 2003.
Britain is rapidly becoming a nation of internet users with more than half of the population now able to access to web at home. A quarter of all internet users have a broadband, meaning that around 15% of UK homes have a high-speed connection, either via the phone line, cable or wireless.
However, there is still some way to go to reach the Government target of being the most extensive and competitive broadband market among the G7 countries by 2005. Official figures suggest that the UK ranks third in the world in terms of coverage and competitiveness and joint sixth with Italy in terms of take-up (see Britain On Track To Lead Broadband Nations).
Ofcom: 020 7981 3000 www.ofcom.org.uk
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