UK leads European Internet market
The UK is leading Europe on Internet services, according to consumer research conducted by the regulator Oftel.
Half of the UK’s households are now connected to the Internet the survey reveals, putting the total number at 12.5 million. This figure has been reached with 750,000 new connections in the last three months.
The survey compared the Internet markets in European countries and found that UK customers are offered below average prices, cheap dial up services, and a wider choice of un-metered packages.
Availability of choice seems to have filtered through to how consumers feel about their Internet service providers, as the industry benefits from a 90 per cent approval rating.
Director General of Telecommunications, David Edmonds, commented on the state of the market saying: “Growth in Internet access, coupled with some of the lowest prices in Europe, is excellent news. Oftel’s policy of creating competitive markets for Internet access continues to drive the growth in Internet access.”
The survey also found that a million Internet users now have plans to upgrade to broadband in the next year. Oftel has previously reported that around one in ten UK homes are connected to Broadband services, and it appears that UK broadband is growing faster than that in France and Germany.
Today’s announcement is good news for the telecoms firms, who have been working to expand the availability of broadband services to rural and poorer people.
Broadband is also getting faster in the UK. Several firms have introduced new 1Mbps connections, and last week BT announced that it is to raise the speed of Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) connections. However, the faster service will only be available to people living within four kilometres of their telephone exchange when launched in November.
