THE MAJORITY of households in Northern Ireland have broadband, with 70 per cent signing up for high-speed internet access, a new report has found.
The research from the telecoms regulator Ofcom found that more Northern Irish customers are logging on to social networking sites, watching TV catch-up services online and making calls over the internet.
The report also discovered that rural consumers are more likely to use communications services such as broadband, mobile phones and satellite television than urban dwellers.
More than one-third of Northern Ireland’s population said they watched TV services online, with 15 per cent accessing radio services over the internet, both in line with the UK average.
Meanwhile, 21 per cent said they access data services through their mobile phones, similar to a UK-wide average of 23 per cent.
Ofcom’s director in Northern Ireland, Denis Wolinski, said the past four years had seen Northern Ireland catch up with, and in some cases overtake, the rest of the UK in using the latest communications services.
The wider UK survey found that Britons spend almost half of their waking hours watching TV and using their mobiles or other communication devices but are paying less to do so.
The average person uses more than one device at the same time, cramming in eight hours and 48 minutes of media into just over seven hours during the day.
Household monthly spending on communications services has fallen by 9.4 per cent to £91.24 (€111.10) over the last five years, mainly due to people opting for discounted bundles.
The number of smartphone users has risen by 81 per cent from 7.2 million users to 12.8 million in the year to May 2010, while the number surfing the internet on their mobiles rose from nine million to 13.5 million in the last year.
Older consumers were also doing more, with more than half of those aged 55 having broadband at home, the fastest-growing age group.
Facebook was by far the most popular mobile internet site, Ofcom said.
The Ofcom report questioned more than 9,000 people throughout the UK, with 761 in Northern Ireland. – (Additional reporting, Reuters)
