Oftel claims 93 per cent of medium businesses and 69 per cent of small businesses in Britain are either hooked up - or are about to be hooked up - to the Net.

In its latest batch of research the winged watchdog claims that more than 70 per cent of those connected said they were using the Internet more now than when they were first connected.

Oftel also claims businesses use a wide range of different ISPs - taking into account cost, speed of access and content of site.

Said an astute David Edmonds, DG of Oftel: "Cost is a major factor when deciding which provider to use, and I am pleased that nearly one-fifth of businesses have chosen unmetered access as the most cost-effective way of using the Internet." ®