Officially launched at the end of 2003,
Offcom was born in a changing environment, with the goal of adapting to and guiding new trends in the communications industry. This document is the second overall market report released by Offcom since it took over industry regulation.
In this annual report, have shown greater enthusiasm in applying digital phone number library networks and means, the communications market has shown some new developments and changes - broadband, digital broadcasting and television, mobile communications, etc. have become the three core areas of development in the communications industry, and some new trends are also emerging in the industry.
Broadband: Truly Going Mainstream
The number of broadband users in the UK has surpassed the number of dial-up users. Offcom calls 2005 the year broadband truly became a mainstream consumer product. Today, 30% of UK homes and businesses use broadband, and many more are interested in joining the ranks.
Over the past three years, the number of new broadband connections added each week in the UK has increased nearly 13-fold, from 5,500 per week in 2001 to 73,800 in 2004. This rapid growth has brought the UK's total broadband connections to 8.1 million by the end of June 2005, double the number at the end of 2003. According to Offcom, 99.6% of UK households will have broadband access by the end of this year.