Over 65s catching on to broadband, says survey

'Silver surfers' are driving broadband adoption in the UK, Ofcom statistics have revealed, which could mean more over-65s are using VoIP.

High-speed internet take-up increased by three per cent in 2009 overall, but the figure was much higher for those of pensionable age, the report showed.

New connections jumped by nine per cent among 65-74s and eight per cent for people aged over 75.

UK digital champion and founder of lastminute.com Martha Lane Fox commented: "The internet offers users a huge range of benefits for this age group - from keeping in touch with family and friends, to making savings online to even getting your shopping delivered to your door."

The report also showed land-line take-up has maintained its downward trend, falling to 84 per cent of homes, while over 90 per cent of UK individuals use a mobile phone, a ten percentage point increase since 2005. 

Earlier this month, culture secretary Jeremy Hunt promised the government would spend £830 million to provide super-fast broadband to every home and business in the country.