Recent figures on Internet usage worldwide estimate that 459 million people have home-based Internet access.

Nielsen/NetRatings's Global Internet Trends report for the second quarter of 2001 shows the number of people with Internet access has risen by 30 million since the first quarter.

The report suggests there are substantial opportunities in the global PC consumer market in Europe. Penetration levels in Germany, Britain and France range from 34 per cent to 48 per cent - well behind South Korea, Sweden and Australia, where 65 per cent of households with telephones have PCs. The report says that 45 per cent of Irish homes have at least one PC with Internet access.