Broadband take up accelerates

Consumers are flocking to broadband services as they seek to take advantage of reduced costs and higher speeds, according to new data.

Figures published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that broadband accounted for 91.6 per cent of all UK internet connections in March, which represents an eight per cent rise on the corresponding numbers for last year.

Conversely demand for slower dial-up connections continued to decline and they now account for only 8.4 per cent of the market.

Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: "There is really little reason to hold onto an outdated dial-up connection these days. The broadband market has become so competitive that broadband is now as cheap, if not cheaper than its old-fashioned counterpart."

Recent research by YouGov suggests that consumers are often paying over the odds for broadband because they fail to understand bandwidth.

The poll found 78 per cent of broadband users fail to keep a track of how close they are to exceeding their download limit, while a further 27 per cent of users do not even know what usage allowance they signed up for.