Mobile Laptop Broadband is Enjoying Explosive Growth

MOBILE broadband is enjoying explosive growth — with 511,000 laptop plug-ins sold in five months, says OFCOM.

The communications watchdog also revealed more than two million Brits have now used one of the “dongle” devices to plug into laptops for on-the-go internet.

More than one in ten mobile users have also accessed the web through their phone. And during 2007 the number of 3G mobile connections rose by 60 per cent to 12.5million subscribers.

As the UK’s use of communications services grows, users are being charged LESS, Ofcom revealed in its annual report out today.

The watchdog said the average UK household spent £93.63 a month on TV, radio, mobile phones, landlines and internet — down £1.53 a month on 2006.

This was despite huge increases elsewhere in the economy and a rise in the amount of time spent watching TV, listening to the radio, surfing the internet and using mobiles or landline phones.

The average Brit now spends seven hours and nine minutes a day on these activities — with TV and radio still the most popular pastimes.

Peter Phillips, Ofcom’s market development chief, said: “Our devotion to watching, listening and staying in touch wherever and whenever we want shows no sign of diminishing and, with healthy competition, overall prices offer increasing value for money.”

Ofcom’s report also highlights huge growth in digital and high-definition television.

It says the main TV in nearly nine in ten UK households is now digital — while, by March, 80 per cent of all sets being sold in Britain were equipped for high definition.

Meanwhile, by the end of last year, one in four homes had a digital video recorder allowing them to watch, pause and rewind live TV.

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THE Financial Services Authority yesterday slapped its fourth biggest fine, £5.6million, on the UK arm of banking giant CREDIT SUISSE for mis-pricing some securities.