Broadband use in UK to triple next year

Steady on

By Tim Richardson • Get more from this author

Posted in Business, 18th December 2001 15:24 GMT

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Broadband take-up in the UK is to triple next year, according to crystal ball-gazers at Jupiter MMXI.

They claim the UK and Italy will see the biggest growth in Europe in 2002, while Belgium and Sweden will continue to lead the way with the highest proportion of homes in Europe with broadband connections.

But before anyone gets excited, broadband in Europe won't reach critical mass - reckoned to be 15 per cent of homes - until 2006.

According to figures, the number of broadband users in the UK will increase from 202,000 this year to 623,000 by the end of next year. Jupiter predicts that this will double to 1.2 million by the end of 2003.

Today's figures coincide with confirmation that BT Wholesale will launch its mass-market self-install broadband ADSL service on January 15.

The "wires only" product costs less to rent and install than existing services and is tipped to help increase demand for ADSL.

Bruce Stanford, BT director of broadband, said: "Evidence from other countries shows that self-install gives a huge boost to demand for broadband ADSL services, not just by cutting wholesale prices but also by making installation for the customer as easy as setting up a video recorder, and with no need to wait in for an engineer."

BT Wholesale is also introducing more flexible contract terms for self-install customers
by cutting minimum term contracts from 12 months to one month. ®