Comms and Broadcasting: State of the UK

Ofcom yesterday published its Communications Market Report for the Nations and Regions of the UK. The report examines the availability, take-up and usage of Internet, telecoms and broadcasting services across Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the nine English Regions.

The research shows that Londoners spend the most on communications services. However, as a proportion of disposable income, London has one of the lowest spending levels and Northern Ireland and Wales are among the highest.

Availability, take-up and consumption of communications services are generally determined by social background and rural or urban differences. Satisfaction with electronic communications services is generally high across the different parts of the UK. However, the research reveals a number of areas where national or regional differences seem to affect availability, take-up and consumption.

Firstly in terms of Internet and telecommunications, Internet take-up (dial-up and broadband combined) in rural areas across the UK is higher than in urban areas. Urban areas have embraced broadband more quickly although rural areas are catching up. Indeed, levels of PC ownership, Internet and broadband take-up (among Internet households) in the Nations and Regions can vary by as much as 18 percentage points.

Across the UK, the number of texts sent exceeds the number of calls from mobile phones made per week, with people in Northern Ireland and the East Midlands sending the most texts. London is the only part of the UK where the number of mobile phone calls exceeds texts.

In the broadcasting stakes, Wales and the North West of England have the highest take-up of digital television, both at 72%. London and Northern Ireland have the lowest levels of digital television take-up at 58% and 53% respectively. There are clear geographic differences in television viewing habits - people with digital TV in Scotland and the North East watch the most television in the UK (both at 28 hours per week) whereas those in London and Northern Ireland watch the least (at 23 hours per week). Radio listening also varies geographically with the number of weekly hours spent listening to the radio highest in the South of England (at 26 hours per week) and lowest in the North East, Scotland and Wales (at 22, 23 and 23 hours respectively).

Specifically, looking at the regions and starting with Wales, digital television has been widely adopted in Wales with higher than UK average take-up (72% compared with a 65% UK average). This is largely driven by higher satellite take-up. Despite the availability of a variety of sports programming on free-to-air television services, sport did not feature in the top ten programmes viewed across the UK in 2005. In Wales, however, four out of the top ten programmes were primarily rugby related. The Welsh are more likely to rely on mobile phones as their only means of making and receiving phone calls (13% compared with an 8% UK average). Mobile phone consumers in Wales are also more likely to use pre-pay mobile phones than the UK as a whole.

Moving onto Scotland, a higher proportion (22%) of people in Scotland live within 2km of a broadband enabled exchange than the UK average (17%) and are therefore more likely to receive higher speed broadband services. The research indicates that more people in Scotland rely on mobile phones as the only means of making and receiving phone calls (11% compared with an 8% UK average). The Scots watch the most digital television in the UK at 22 hours per week.

In Northern Ireland, people send the most texts per week - 37 texts against a UK average of 28 texts - and listen to more hours of radio than the UK average. More people in Northern Ireland rely on mobile phones as the only means of making and receiving phone calls (12% compared with an 8% UK average). In Northern Ireland, with a high rural population, more people live further than 5km from a broadband enabled exchange than the UK average and are therefore less likely to receive higher speed broadband services (26% compared with a 14% UK average).

Finally, in terms of the English regions, the North West has the second highest percentage (63%) of households and businesses connected to a local loop unbundled telephone exchange in the UK, second only to London (95%). Digital terrestrial television availability is highest in the North West (94%) compared to a UK average of 73%. People in Yorkshire and The Humber are more likely to rely on mobile phones as the only means of making and receiving phone calls (16% compared with an 8% UK average).

According to Ofcom Chief Operating Officer Ed Richards, 'This is the first time that robust comparative data for the Nations and the English Regions has been brought together in this way. The analysis highlights a series of important challenges that will face industry, Ofcom and various tiers of government in the future.'

For further details please visit www.ofcom.org.uk .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.