Broadband price cuts lift U.K. Net use

A fall in the price of broadband has led to a slight month-on-month increase in the number of U.K. households and businesses connected to the Internet, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. There was a 1.2 percent increase from June to July, the biggest rise since February. Dial-up connections still represent the lion's share of the total, but there are signs that the recent broadband advertising campaigns and accompanying price-cutting measures from the Internet service providers are having an effect, as permanent connections continued to increase their share. They made up 6.5 per cent of the connections in July, up from 5.9 per cent in June.

E-commerce minister Stephen Timms commented that "The U.K. now enjoys some of Europe's lowest prices, showing that strong competition is succeeding in driving broadband across the nation."

Silicon.com's Graham Hayday reported from London.

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