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UK broadband growth is second-fastest
Thursday 17th December 2009, by Daniel King
UK broadband subscriber numbers have increased in the past five years faster than any other main country, with the exception of the Netherlands.
The figures from industry regulator Ofcom indicate that, in the half-decade ending in 2008, broadband uptake in the UK grew by 23 connections for every 100 citizens.
In the Netherlands, the growth rate stood at 25 new connections per 100 people - the only country tracked by Ofcom to exceed the UK's rate of uptake.
During 2008 itself, the UK growth rate stood at 9.1 per cent as more households connected to broadband for the first time.
Ed Richards, chief executive of Ofcom, says: "Innovation means that the UK is well placed in the take-up and availability of digital services."
"The report shows that UK consumers have benefited from competition in the form of lower prices," he adds.
Indeed, UK broadband users face the lowest charges among the countries compared, according to the Ofcom report.
For pure broadband services - rather than television and internet bundles - the UK has the lowest average charges on record.
The typical cost of single-service broadband in the UK continues to fall, by 14 per cent in the year from July 2008 to the same point in 2009.
While pure-play broadband is cheapest in the UK, many consumers are opting for bundled packages in order to cut costs, Ofcom previously found.
Between 2008 and 2009, the proportion of consumers taking out discounted bundles for services such as broadband, television and mobile telephony increased from 30 to 35 per cent.
Categories: Broadband
