Ofcom's Communications Market update
Ofcom today published the Communications Market Quarterly
Update covering the latest data available to 30 September 2004.
The Update shows that, for the first time:
• The UK has overtaken Germany in broadband penetration.
By the end of June 2004 the UK had 7.5 connections per hundred population
compared to 6.1 in Spain, 6.3 in Italy, 6.4 in Portugal, 6.7 in Germany,
8.3 in France, 12.1 in Sweden, 15.8 inthe Netherlands and 15.6 in Denmark.
• Digital only television channels combined account for a
greater share of viewing than any of the main terrestrial channels individually;
26% compared to 24.9% for BBC1 for
the second quarter.
• The prices of DAB digital radios continued to fall; the
cheapest now costs less than £50.
Other key developments identified in each sector include:
TELECOMS
• The total number of broadband subscribers in the UK passed the five
million mark, reaching 5.3 million by the end of September 2004.
• The number of fixed lines with Carrier Pre-Selection passed four million
during the same period; BT's share of fixed voice call volumes fell from
56.7% to 55.4%.
• Fixed voice revenues continue to decline; in total, fixed voice and
access represented just 30% of total end-user spending on telecoms in
the three months to June 2004.
• Mobile and data revenues (£2.9bn for the second quarter)
continued to exceed revenues for fixed calls and access (£2.8bn
for the second quarter).
• 84% of fixed line customers and 87% of mobile customers are satisfied
or very satisfied with their overall level of service.
• Business users are spending £1bn on fixed data services and
£100m on mobile data services every quarter.
TELEVISION
• By the end of June 2004, more than 55% of UK households received digital
television.
• Freeview (free-to-view digital terrestrial television) was the largest
contributor to growth, adding more than 400,000
households in the second quarter of 2004.
• Viewing of the main five terrestrial channels accounts for more than
80% of viewing in the South West of England but only just over 65% in
Wales.
• In the three months to June 2004, both BBC1 and BBC2 received their
greatest share of viewing in the South West of England.
• ITV1's share of viewing exceeded BBC1 in Northern Ireland andthe Scottish
Borders but was less in every other region.
RADIO
• The licensing of new radio services has continued over the last
two months. Twelve applications were received for the new FM licence in
Edinburgh, four for the new licence in Blackburn and six for Ashford (Kent).
These will be the first licences to be awarded under Ofcom's new licensing
process; around 30 FM licences are expected to be awarded over the next
two to three years.
• Despite a wider choice of radio stations, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio
4 continue to have the greatest share of listening in London, as well
as across the UK.
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