Broadband 'becoming the norm' and driving new tech

Growing numbers of people are signing up to broadband deals and the popularity of the connections are driving innovation of new technologies such as online gaming and VoIP, according to the Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA).

The most recent official statistics show that 88.4 per cent of all UK internet connections are using broadband technology, which helps the spread of IP telephony as the reliability and clarity of a voice call is greater than with dial-up.

"I think it's becoming the norm for people to have broadband, because of the impact it's having," said a spokesperson for ISPA UK.

"In the days of dial-up in the UK, we had lots of technologies that were possible, but not over a 56K connection. Broadband has made these web technologies [possible] - such as streaming media and telephone over the internet."

The spokesperson added that the continuing spread of broadband could have an influence on the working lives of people in the UK as "there are developments going on all the time to improve connectivity" which provides "potential to see more remote working" in the future.