Just under half of all UK households (45%) are now connected to the internet, up from just 30% at the same time last year, according to new figures released by Oftel today.
Oftel’s review looked only at the narrowband, dial-up Net access market, rather than the uptake of broadband access options such as DSL, cable modem and so on, although the penetration of cable versus BT homes is shown here:
UK homes with internet access, October 2001 | |||
All Internet homes | Single line Internet homes | Multi-line Internet homes | |
(Base: 750) | (Base: 523) | (Base: 225) | |
BT | 74% | 80% | 60% |
Cable | 19% | 13% | 32% |
Other | 5% | 7% | 1% |
DonÂ’t know | 2% | – | 6% |
Source: Oftel, January 2002 |
From dial-up to broadband Of the 11 million UK homes that are now connected to the internet, four million use unmetered access services. As most consumers still use dial-up, narrowband access, it is important to maintain a ‘thriving and competitive’ market, says Oftel. Dial-up Net access often acts as a stepping stone for users who then move on to the faster broadband services.
The split the payment packages in the UK is shown in the chart below.