tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84146500627499377842011-10-18T00:33:17.436-07:00News Updaternoreply@blogger.comBlogger11100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8414650062749937784.post-84679913867975745222011-09-04T03:28:00.000-07:002011-09-04T03:29:53.881-07:00<p class="introduction" id="story_continues_1">Almost half of UK internet users are going online via mobile phone data connections, according to the Office for National Statistics.</p> <p>Some 45% of people surveyed said they made use of the net while out and about, compared with 31% in 2010.</p> <p>The most rapid growth was among younger people, where 71% of internet-connected 16 to 24-year-olds used mobiles.</p> <p>Domestic internet use also rose. According to the ONS, 77% of households now have access to a net connection.</p> <p>That figure was up 4% from the previous year, representing the slowest rate of growth since the ONS survey began in 2006.</p> <p>Among the 23% of the population who remain offline, half said they "didn't need the internet".</p><p></p><p id="story_continues_2">The ONS report is the first since dot-com entrepreneur Martha Lane-Fox was appointed as the government's UK Digital Champion, with a brief to increase internet uptake.</p> <p>In a statement, Ms Lane-Fox said: "That so many offline households don't see any reason to get online reinforces the importance of the digital champions network that the Raceonline2012 partners are creating."</p> <span class="cross-head">Mobile revolution</span> <p>The figure for domestic connections contrasted sharply with the rapid growth in uptake of mobile services.</p> <p>However, the popularity of 3G broadband did not necessarily mean that more people were going online overall.</p> <p>Many of those using mobile phones are likely to already have home broadband connections.</p> <p>Older users, who the government is particularly keen to get connected, appeared to have been relatively untouched by the phenomenon.</p> <p>While 71% of 16 to 24-year-old who went online said they used mobile broadband, just 8% of internet users aged over 65 made use of the newer technology.</p> <p>The ONS survey also found a dramatic rise in the use of wifi hotspots - a seven-fold increase since 2011 - suggesting that the rise of 3G has done little to slow demand for free and paid-for wireless access.</p> <p>All findings were based on a monthly survey of 1,800 randomly selected adults from across the UK.</p><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8414650062749937784-8467991386797574522?l=big-tobacco.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>News Updaternoreply@blogger.com0