moneysupermarket.com: Ofcom ICM Report

Commenting on Ofcom's latest International Communications Market Report 2008, James Parker, manager of mobiles and broadband at moneysupermarket.com says, "The latest report from Ofcom shows just how much appetite there is for new technology. With the UK leading most of Europe, the take-up of digital TV, mobile and broadband the market has become good-value for the consumer. However, the report has shown that not everyone is taking full advantage of falling broadband costs and the value that triple bundles offer.

"Research from moneysupermarket.com shows that 70 per cent of people have not yet bundled their services and as a result could be wasting nearly £40 every month on standalone products. Consumers can get real value from their provider and gets some huge discounts and with providers fighting for new customers and dropping their prices, customers can easily swap onto a better deal.

"The Ofcom report shows that Internet penetration is starting to approach PC ownership, which is good news for consumer as prices could fall further. However, only 60% have broadband leaving millions of people disconnected. There are some really cheap options out there for consumers, and if they already have a TV subscription service they can get online for just a few pounds more.

"With BBC announcing it is to stream live online, ODTV growing at an incredible rate and video sites getting more visitors than news pages, net capability has to be at its best. The report shows that individuals' consumption of free-to-air online TV shows has grown rapidly across several comparator countries - in the UK by 69%. Unfortunately, millions of consumers are still failing to get the top speeds from their connections and will not be able to enjoy these full services. Ofcom needs to ensure the development of broadband continues at its current rate but also ensure that customers are fully aware of what speeds they are able to achieve."