13 November 2006

More than half of the UK adult population surf the web at least once a week, according to figures from the European Commission (EC).

While this figure is slightly higher than the average for the EU25, 47 per cent of adults in the member states were found to use the Internet each week.

Additionally, 52 per cent of European Union residents now have Internet access in their homes, while almost one-third have a broadband connection.

Another key finding of the research was that three-quarters of businesses now have broadband access.

The EC states: "Broadband offers a much faster connection to the Internet, and offers the potential of changing the way the Internet is used."

Hotspots for broadband were the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, while Greece, Slovakia and Cyprus were at the bottom of the list.

Ireland was also found to have low broadband proliferation, with 13 per cent of households connected.

Earlier this year, the Nations Conference on Trade and Development claimed that an individual in a high-income country is 22 times more likely to have Internet access than those in the developing world.

© Adfero Ltd

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