VoIP and tripleplay uptake soaring in Europe

The EU has released a survey showing significant increases in use of phone calls over the internet and mobile networks, as the Commission looks to investigate the telecom giants.

The survey was conducted across all EU member states on a sample of 27,000 representative households.

It showed an increasing uptake of mobile and internet solutions over the traditional fixed line services.

The poll found that a substantial 17 per cent of European households use the internet to make telephone calls.

The combination of internet access and telephone line continues to be the most popular product offered by providers, although there has been an increasing switch to mobile telephony.

Households with at least one mobile phone remained stable at 81 per cent, but those with at least one fixed land line dipped by five per cent from last year to 72 per cent.

And the proportion of "mobile only" households in the EU increased by four per cent to 22 per cent, with the popularity of broadband rising by six per cent to 28 per cent of all households.

The results of the survey come as the European Union's Commission is set to increase its investigations into the largest providers of mobile telephony because of worries of lack of competition in the market.

The EC has already investigated France's Wanadoo, owned by France Telecom, and there have been growing rumours it might also target Spain's Telefonica.