Head of the department of sociology at City University London Professor Frank Webster spoke at the Westminster eForum keynote seminar entitled Broadband for All? and discussed the Digital Britain report, which set out various goals regarding supplying the UK with speedy access to the internet.

The seminar examined how problems related to providing a minimum of two-megabit for the whole country could be solved.

Professor Webster was asked about mobile phones and said like most things, they eventually filtered down to all parts of society and digital services will do the same via an enhanced television set.

"It is entertainment-led. I don't see any particular reason for us to get in a huff about that," he remarked.

"The better off people got them first, they quickly permeated down to the majority of people and, indeed, they will be, for many people, the point of access to the digital highway."

His comments follow a survey published by Ofcom last month, which found that not owning a computer was the main reason why those who did not have broadband were not connected to the internet.

And a fifth of the people who have not yet joined the cyber community plan to in the next six months, the research found.

These consumers are more likely to be younger and already use the internet outside the home.

People looking for a suitable broadband deal may find cheaper prices by going online at their local library or internet cafe.

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