Half of adults have broadband in UK

More than half of British adults have broadband at home, according to telecoms regulator Ofcom.

It follows a 39 per cent upturn since 2006 and a seven fold increase over the last four years, Ofcom said.

Strong competition among broadband suppliers has led to falling prices.

Connections with speeds of up to 2Meg dropped to around £15 per month last year - down from £50 in 2003.

Ofcom's Digital Progress report on the broadband market says broadband customers are increasingly turning to "bundled" deals from their supplier.

Last year 40 per cent of home broadband customers took other services, such as phone or TV access, from the same firm.

But nearly half (48 per cent) of domestic consumers questioned for Ofcom's report last month were unaware of their broadband connection speed.

One fifth of adults questioned owned a wi-fi enabled laptop which could connect wirelessly to the internet.

The number of wi-fi hotspots around the UK hit 12,000 last September - up 32 per cent on the previous year.

By the end of last year, 10 per cent of UK adults were making phone calls over the internet - double the amount who did so the previous year.

And around half of all broadband users had accessed music or videos at least once.

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 of broadband Britain."

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