UK consumers are among the most tech-savvy in the world according to a new report by telecoms watchdog, Ofcom.
The survey compared Britain’s use of digital technology with 11 other major economies including France, Germany, Ireland and the USA, and the four fast growing economies of Brazil, India, Russia and China.
It found Britain has the highest proportion of homes with digital television (88 per cent), and that last year we sent 83 billion text messages – more than any other country with the exception of the United States which sent ten times as many.
When it comes to accessing social networking sites such as Facebook through mobile phones, the UK has built up a considerable lead over other countries. According to Ofcom, in the third quarter of this year, 30.9 per cent of UK mobile web users accessed social networking sites on their phones, compared to 16.1 per cent in Italy and just 12.8 per cent in Germany.
The report also looked at the take-up, availability, price and use of Broadband, and in this area Britain didn’t fare as well.
Although the UK had the second highest uptake of broadband lines in the five years to 2008, the speed at which consumers can connect to the internet is not impressive when compared to other countries.
By the end of 2008, only 10 per cent of UK broadband users could achieve a headline speed above 8 megabits per second (Mbps). That compares unfavourably with countries such as France, where 26 per cent of users can connect at those speeds and the Netherlands where the figure is 37 per cent.
Figures released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) earlier this month revealed the UK is placed 21st out of 30 countries when it comes to broadband speeds. The UK government has said it wants to see super-fast broadband (generally regarded as speeds of 50Mbps or above) available to 90 per cent of the country by the end of 2017.