The Government's digital inclusion champion for its Digital Britain report, Martha Lane Fox, has revealed that 17% of the UK population (10m people) have never been online. The research, which was conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, found that families without an ISP connection could be missing out on savings totalling roughly £560 a year (i.e. inability to access cheaper products and service deals).

4m of the total 10m were from economically or socially excluded backgrounds; this consisted of 39% who were over the age of 65, 38% were single unemployed people and 19% were families with children. In addition, 1.8m children growing up in digitally excluded families could earn up to £8,000 more over their entire lifetime if they became web-literate.

Elsewhere a poll of 1,000 people by Virgin Media has revealed that a third of people would feel anxious if they were unable to go online or use their mobile phone. By comparison two-thirds felt relaxed when they had immediate mobile or Internet access available (aka Sosos - switch on to switch off). Some 48% said that being connected at all times was relaxing.