www.hooked-on-the-net.com
- From Square-Eyed to Google-Eyed, Nearly Half of UK Homes Spend Three or More Hours a day Online
UK households cannot live without the Internet and are spending almost as much time online as they do watching TV, according to key findings from the Home.Net report released today by Orange Broadband.
The research into the habits of over 2500 households shows that such is our passion for information and entertainment online, the Internet is now considered to be a household essential. Nearly two thirds (61 per cent) of homes couldn't live without it, and almost half (47 per cent) spend three or more hours a day on the net compared to 3.8 hours watching TV. (x)
Rather than switching off when they get home, people are logging on; shopping, 'MySpacing', paying bills, making phone calls and even watching TV through the Internet. The Home.Net report into the UK's Internet usage also revealed that habits vary from region to region as households use it to suit their lifestyle needs:
Del-Boys of the north
- The North East is the wheeler-dealer capital of the UK, buying and selling more goods via the web than anywhere else in the country - 70 per cent of homes compared to a national average of 59 per cent
The online Bridget Jones'
- Lonely Londoners are the country's most prolific social net workers, with over a third (39 per cent) of people searching for life and love, compared to a national average of 31 per cent
The Alvin Hall wannabes
- Savvy Midlanders are getting the most 'net gain' from their home Internet connection. Almost a third save money by using the web to talk to friends and family and two thirds (66 per cent) of households regularly pay bills and organise their finances online
No Internet dummies
- Almost two thirds of South West residents (60 per cent) are likely to turn to the net for home entertainment - the highest proportion in the UK. Downloading podcasts and films, listening to music, watching live gigs online and playing video games are all popular pastimes
The next generation Simpsons
- Households in the North West are most likely to watch their favourite TV programmes online, with almost a fifth of households (17 per cent) ditching the box for the PC
Pleasure seekers
- Cash rich, time poor households in the South East are most likely to use the Internet to organise their lives with over half (57 per centÂÂ) using the web to plan leisure activities and manage their finances
Web-aholics
- Households in Scotland are the biggest users of the net with over half (55 per cent) spending more than three hours daily on the Internet. However contrary to type, Scots aren't that conscious of saving money and are the least likely to bank, invest and pay bills online
The research revealed that the nation as a whole is becoming more confident using the web for everything from making friends to eBay trading. It also shows that newer uses of home Internet are on the rise. Over a quarter (28 per cent) of UK homes are now using their broadband connection to make phone calls (VoIP) - saving them money on domestic and international calls and one in 10 (10 per cent) are shunning their TV sets to download and watch their favorite shows when they want.
Asif Aziz, Director of Product Management, Orange Broadband said, "10 years ago, few of us had fast home Internet access or used it regularly, particularly for entertainment, so it's amazing to see how it has evolved to be a pastime as popular as watching TV. Household Internet connections really have become the centre of our home information, entertainment and communication needs."
For information on home broadband from Orange, please visit www.orange.co.uk
Notes to editors
The research was conducted by ICM between 13-15th April 2007. There were 2500 respondents aged 18+. Results are weighted to be representative of the GB adult population.
(x) UK average statistic from Ofcom's 'communications market report for the nations and regions of the UK' published on May 24th 2007
About Orange
Orange is a key brand of the France Telecom Group, providing mobile, broadband, fixed, business and entertainment services across Europe. It is one of the world's leading telecommunications operators with more than 150 million customers on five continents.
In June, 2006, Orange became the single brand for mobile, broadband and multi-play offers. In addition, Orange Business Services became the new banner for business communications solutions. Orange Business Services is present in 166 countries with network reach in 220.
In the UK, Orange provides high quality GSM coverage to 99per cent of the UK population. At the end of March 31 2007, Orange had over 16.5 million customers in the UK - 15.1 million active mobile customers and over 1.5 million Internet customers.
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Personal Communications Services Limited. Further information about Orange and France Telecom can be found on the Orange website at www.orange.co.uk or the France Telecom website at www.francetelecom.com - PR Newswire, UK
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