Finally we come to SPAM, otherwise know as junk or unwanted e-mail. During October and November 2006 several anti-virus/spam firms reported that SPAM was now accounting for over 90% of all e-mail! The previous figure, which had hovered between 84 and 86% for much of 2006, had already become unbearable.

Sadly governments continue to drag their feet, failing to understand that weak anti-SPAM laws and an unnecessarily hostile attitude towards ISP’s is not adequate. To solve this problem will require a hard line, concerted and truly global effort, something we do not expect to see for several more years. In other words, if you’re not already drowning under junk e-mail, expect to be soon.

Conclusion

So, picking up from our original question, has the UK managed to move forward or is it still languishing in the back and ready to fall over? The good news is that we’re not standing still. There’s plenty of life left in the market and services continue to evolve, hinting at a fruitful 2007.

On the other hand, junk e-mail (SPAM) may still get worse while those restricted at the slower end of broadband (1Mbps or less) shall remain disadvantaged as online content evolves. Elsewhere market saturation could also play a part, yet there are still people whom could be persuaded to give broadband a try, enough to keep things steady for a little while longer.

Overall, ADSL migration improvements, price cuts and further speed boosts should still keep things lively for another year. The real question will be what comes after that?

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