The UK is predicted to lead Europe in terms of broadband adoption, with a new report for eMarketer claiming that uptake of the technology has surged over the last few years resulting in the majority of internet users using broadband connections of some sort.
The
UK Online report claims that 56.7% of the UK population is currently online, rising to 62.5% over the next three years.
Commenting on the reports findings, James Belcher, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the report said: “The UK is wired, and getting more so all the time. In fact, it’s on the way to being the top broadband country in Western Europe in the next three years.”
He continued: “British users are getting more comfortable with completing transactions on their high-speed connections, and that’s making for robust growth in e-commerce.”
Earlier this year saw online analyst eMarketer predict a rise in popularity for e-commerce across Europe, with increases of 40% expected for this year. The rise, it is claimed, has been spurred on by the adoption of broadband across the continent, with online shopping and purchasing on the rise even in countries with deteriorating offline retail markets (see European E-Commerce Forecast To Rise By 40% In 2005).
The rapid adoption rate of broadband in the UK has led eMarketer to forecast that “as a percentage of online users, the UK will catch up with the US by 2008”, Belcher added.
According to figures from Datamonitor, by the end of 2005 almost eight million households in the UK will have a broadband connection (see Europe Sees Surge In Broadband Adoption).
The rise of broadband is good news for online advertising, with eMarketer asserting the medium’s ability to reach “young, well-educated, and affluent customers.”
Belcher added: “For those who have been waiting for a sufficient audience to create an online campaign, it’s time to begin.”
The latest figures from the the UK Internet Advertising Bureau (UK IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)revealed that internet advertising expenditure in the UK reached £490.8 million in the first half of 2005 and is predicted to exceed the £1 billion mark by the end of this year.
| Internet Users in Select Countries in Western Europe, 2003-2008 (as a % of total population) |
| |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
| France |
36.1 |
39.5 |
43.4 |
47 |
50.8 |
54.4 |
| Germany |
46.9 |
50.2 |
53.3 |
56 |
58.4 |
60.4 |
| Italy |
31.8 |
36.6 |
41.4 |
45.5 |
50.1 |
54 |
| Spain |
24.2 |
28.7 |
33.1 |
37.2 |
41.1 |
44.4 |
| UK |
48.1 |
53.4 |
56.7 |
58.3 |
60.4 |
62.5 |
| Source: eMarketer December 2005 |
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