More than one million UK households now have a high-speed broadband internet connection, according to new a report from communications regulator Oftel.
The figures from telecoms operators show that the number of broadband connections has doubled over the last six months, with uptake rates now running higher than 20,000 per week. The Oftel figures concur with data released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (see
High Speed Internet Growth Accelerates In UK).
Separately, AOL has upped the stakes in the broadband price war today with the launch of a new ‘no frills’ internet package, offering subscribers high-speed access for £27.99 per month. The internet service provider is hoping to encourage more of its existing customers to upgrade to broadband by offering access to a range of multimedia services from the AOL Time Warner stable of brands.
Competition in the broadband market is tough and rivalry between the sector’s major players is helping to drive down prices. A recent report from Continental Research also suggests that consumer interest in broadband is increasing, with around 700,000 homes planning to upgrade to a high-speed service within the next twelve months (see UK Web Users Catching The Broadband Bug, Says Research).
However, a separate report from Nielsen//NetRatings claims that UK is lagging behind the rest of Europe in the uptake of broadband internet services (see UK Lags Behind Europe In Broadband Uptake).
