Ofcom survey points to mobile broadband surge

August 7, 2017

According to data from mobile phone regulator Ofcom, over two thirds of all UK homes now have broadband connection with mobile broadband responsible for the recent increase in connections.

The official report from Ofcom states that 68% of all UK households were connected to a broadband connection of some kind in March of 2017 which is a sharp increase from the 58% reported in 2016.

Additionally, the report showed that the average online time daily increased from nine minutes in 2004 to 25 minutes this year.

The current fast rate of growth is expected to continue to increase as mobile broadband becomes more common throughout the UK.

This is reflected in the number of consumers who signed up for the first time to mobile contract in May of 2017, over 250,000 compared to 139,000 from last year.

Translated, this means that one in nine UK homes have mobile broadband access.

Despite the many advances in mobile broadband, most surfing is still performed on fixed lines because of the increased speed, unlimited data and download access, and higher reliability.

Still, 8 million mobile broadband users surfed the internet in 2017, which is a 40% increase from 2016 suggesting that consumers use mobile broadband to complement fixed line broadband services while away from the home.

Further Ofcom surveys suggest that even with less money in UK citizens’ pockets due to the recession, high tech spending habits will not change, as only 10% reported they would reduce the amount they spend on broadband while 47% reported they would cut back on eating out and 41% would trim holiday costs.