Ofcom releases communications report

Britons spend nearly 14 hours a week on the internet on average, second only to Americans who spend 15 hours, according to a new study.

The International Communications Market report from communications watchdog Ofcom revealed how the UK's online habits compared with a number of other countries, including the US, Japan and France.

Watching television over the internet is growing in popularity, with the UK coming second to the USA again, with eight and 26 streams per head respectively, while the growth in download volume in Britain reached 69 per cent in 2007.

However, while admitting that on-demand television was "growing at an incredible rate", James Parker, manager of broadband at moneysupermarket.com, said that the technology demanded net capability to be "at its best".

"Unfortunately, millions of consumers are still failing to get the top speeds from their connections and will not be able to enjoy these full services," he said.

"Ofcom needs to ensure the development of broadband continues at its current rate but also ensure that customers are fully aware of what speeds they are able to achieve."