Broadband hits halfway mark

Ofcom has published a report on the broadband market that claims take-up has reached 50 per cent of UK households.

According to the industry watchdog, the figure rose from 39 per cent take-up a year ago - and now more than 13 million homes and SME offices are connected to broadband.

It is now the norm even for net newbies to go straight to broadband without trying dial-up first, the report found.

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A key driver of this behaviour is the downward trend in pricing. The average price for up to 2Mbps has fallen from around £50 per month in 2003 to £15 per month in 2006.

This downward shift in pricing has been boosted by operators bundling broadband services with fixed-line, TV and mobile communications for free.

By the end of 2006, 40 per cent of adults using broadband services did so alongside other comms services from the same provider.

Broadband speeds have continued to rise over the course of 2006, with the average headline connection speed rising from 1.6Mbps to 3.8Mbps. However half of the respondents were so unconcerned with connection speeds, they had no idea of current headline speeds on offer, suggesting broadband has reached an acceptable level of service for many users.

In a statement, Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said: "With over half of UK adults now using broadband at home, we have reached a very significant milestone in the development and innovation that the UK market now offers."