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Thursday, 23 August 2007, 11:18 GMT 12:18 UK

At a glance: UK digital boom

The growth of broadband and the internet, mobile phones and MP3 players are revolutionising how Britons spend their time, according to a report by regulator Ofcom.

Here are some of the key findings from the annual report:

INTERNET AND COMPUTING

stats

Internet use is rising. The average user spent 36 minutes online in 2006 - up 158% on 2002 figures.

52% of children regularly surf the net, up from 47% in 2005.

Internet users in the 24 - 34 age group are more likely to be women (55% of users) than men.

Over-65s users spend more time on the web - 42 hours per month - than any other age group. But the total number of over 65 internet users is just 16%.

Fewer children playing video and computer games - 53% regularly play in 2007, down from 61% in 2005.

The internet is replacing conventional phones. The number of consumers phoning online in 2006 stood at 20%, up from 14% in 2005.

Graph showing internet use by age

PHONE AND COMMUNICATIONS

More houses have a mobile connection (93%) than a fixed line connection (90%) for the first time.

Mobile vs Fixed Line graph

Mobile phone calls now account for one-third of all phone calls.

Mobile phones have a wide array of uses: 41% of mobile phone owners use their phone as a digital camera, 21% to play computer games, 13% to access the internet, 10% to listen to the radio.

Consumers are getting more from communications services but paying less. The average household spent £92.65 per month on communications services in 2006, down from £94.03 in 2005.

TELEVISION

More than 80% of households now have access to digital TV.

8.4 million homes now use Freeview, up 31% year-on-year.

The average viewer watches 3 hours and 36 minutes per week, down 4% on 2002.

93% of children aged 8-15 watch TV almost every day.

Graph - children and the media

RADIO

Britons listen to 2 hours 50 minutes of radio a week on average - down 4% on 2002 figures. The biggest decline was in 25-34 year olds (down 17.3%), but over 55s are listening to more radio (up 5.5%)

The BBC share of radio listening rose from 53% in 2002 to 56% in the first quarter of 2007.

The British public is exploring new ways to listen to the radio: 41% listen through digital TV, 24% listen over the internet, 8% use their mobile phones.

5% of radio listeners regularly use podcast services.

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Related to this story:
New Media Home: The Conclusion (15 May 07 | Technology )
Britain enjoying 'digital boom' (23 Aug 07 | Technology )
Mobile phones 'eroding landlines' (22 Aug 07 | Business )
Britain 'failing' net speed tests (02 Aug 07 | Technology )
Digital home technology given OK (09 Aug 07 | Technology )
Warning of children's TV 'crisis' (25 Jul 07 | Entertainment )
iPlayer faces petition pressure (24 Jul 07 | Technology )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Ofcom
Ofcom Communications Market Report 2007
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