By: MarkJ - 24 May, 2007 (1:32 PM)
Ofcoms latest research shows that the UK's digital divide continues to narrow. In 2005 there was a 12% gap between the number of adults with broadband at home in Northern Ireland (lowest at 24%), Wales (25%), Scotland (31%) and England (highest at 36%).
This year’s report shows that by 2006 this gap had reduced to just 3%. Take-up in England stood at 45% and in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales had reached 42%:
* The proportion of UK households able to receive competitive broadband and phone services through local loop unbundling (
LLU) increased by 27 percentage points over the year from 40% at the end of 2005 to 67% at the end of the 2006.
LLU enables providers other than BT to fully control the equipment in the exchange and to offer a range of competitive phone and broadband services. The number of people able to receive
LLU services increased from 0% in 2005 to 10% in 2006 in Northern Ireland.
* Almost three out of ten UK households (29%) took multiple services from a single telecoms provider in 2006 (fixed line phone and broadband for example). Bundling is highest in Northern Ireland (32%) and lowest in Wales at 22%. Growth in bundling has been fuelled by growing broadband take-up and increasing
LLU availability.
* Average reported monthly household spend on mobile phone services ( £42 .18 based on an average two mobile phones per household) is greater than reported spend on fixed-line and internet combined across the UK ( £31 .18).
It's also noted that more people in rural areas (94%) have a fixed line phone than in urban areas (89%) whereas 41% of adults in rural areas have broadband Internet at home compared to 45% in urban areas.
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