Most UK households now have broadband Internet-report

The majority of households in the United Kingdom now have a broadband Internet connection, official statistics, quoted by an AFP report, said.

The AFP report said a total of 15.23 million households (61%) have Internet access, an increase of nearly one million households (7%) on last year, according to the 2007 National Statistics Omnibus Survey.

And 51% of households now have high-speed broadband access, up from 40% in 2006.

Some 60% of London households have broadband, the highest proportion, while Northern Ireland was the lowest at 40%, the AFP report said.

In London and south-west England , 69% of households had Internet access, the highest figure, with Northern Ireland, north-east England and Yorkshire in northern England the lowest at 52%, the AFP report said.

Men were found to be more likely to log on than women (71% to 62%).

And while 90% of 16- to 24-year-olds had gone online in the three months prior to the survey, just 24% of the 65-plus age group had done likewise.

Searching for information about goods and services was the most common reason for using the Internet (86%), followed by sending and receiving emails (85 %) and using services related to travel and accommodation (63%), the AFP report said.

The survey was carried on a random sample of about 1,800 adults, aged 16 and over living in private households nationwide, it added.