Digital Trends

Broadband connections keep rising in the UK, but fixed-line Internet connections have dropped for the second consecutive quarter — why?

According to the new Internet Connectivity report from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), UK broadband connections have gone up to 94.1% from 92.8% of all Internet connections. That makes sense as people keep abandoning those old, slow dial-up connections.

But there also something strange happening, the report notes. For the last two quarters there has been a drop in fixed-line Internet subscriptions. So what’s happening?

There are several theories. One is that ISPs, who provide the numbers, have given inaccurate figures, according to ZDNet. But the rise of mobile broadband might well be the answer.

Government watchdog Ofcom reported more than half a million new mobile broadband connections in the first half of 2008, and it continues to grow in popularity, boosted by the fact that several services offer a free laptop with a subscription. The ONS only measures fixed-line subscriptions.