Broadband take-up in the UK has more than doubled since the start of 2002, according to new figures released by Oftel.
The telecoms regulator revealed that by the end of June, 709,000 consumers and small and medium-sized businesses had signed up for a broadband connection. This represents a major increase from December 2001 when there were only 332,000 broadband subscribers in the UK.
Cable broadband remains the most popular method of access with subscriptions having risen from 196,000 to 419,000 this year. However, the number of ADSL subscribers has also climbed to 290,000 from an estimated 136,000 in January 2002. E-commerce minister, Stephen Timms was suitably encouraged by Oftel’s findings.
“Take-up has soared over the last six months and with prices as low as £20 a month, broadband no longer has to be a distant dream. We must now use this momentum to increase coverage and develop valuable, exciting content,” said Timms.
Despite the growing popularity of high-speed internet services, there remains a large untapped market for broadband providers (see UK Lagging In Broadband Stakes, Says NetValue). Oftel’s figures indicate that only 6% of home users are accessing the web via the new technology.
