42244 0 3 econsultancy_xml <p>The reasons given for not getting online were lack of interest, the cost of getting connected, and not having the necessary skills. Only 26% of those without access were confident they knew how to use the internet.</p> <p>Katja Mueller of Point Topic believes the skills issue is a barrier to growth:</p> <blockquote> <p> <em>"These are real concerns, and if they were to be resolved, more households would be able to benefit from getting internet access in the next half a year."</em> </p> </blockquote> <p>Internet coverage has grown rapidly over the last few years, with <a href="/blog/339-uk-broadband-coverage-will-reach-64-in-next-2-years">64% of the population expected to have broadband installed by the end of 2008</a>, around 16 million households. </p> <p>However, new broadband installations are expected to level out after this, as most of those who want internet access are expected to have signed up by then.</p> <FormattedContent xmlns="http://www.e-consultancy.com/schema/formattedContent/"> <Paragraph>The reasons given for not getting online were lack of interest, the cost of getting connected, and not having the necessary skills. Only 26% of those without access were confident they knew how to use the internet.</Paragraph> <Paragraph>Katja Mueller of Point Topic believes the skills issue is a barrier to growth:</Paragraph> <Block> <Paragraph> <Quote>"These are real concerns, and if they were to be resolved, more households would be able to benefit from getting internet access in the next half a year."</Quote> </Paragraph> </Block> <Paragraph>Internet coverage has grown rapidly over the last few years, with <Link URL="/blog/339-uk-broadband-coverage-will-reach-64-in-next-2-years" Window="New">64% of the population expected to have broadband installed by the end of 2008</Link>, around 16 million households. </Paragraph> <Paragraph>However, new broadband installations are expected to level out after this, as most of those who want internet access are expected to have signed up by then.</Paragraph> </FormattedContent> 2006-10-26T11:21:00+01:00 0 1 econsultancy_xml <p> <strong>According to new research from Point Topic, resistance to the internet is growing among the portion of the population currently without access.</strong> </p> <p>By early 2006, an estimated 11.2 million households in the UK (44%) had no internet access at home. Of those households, 74.6% don’t think it is important to, a rise from 51.7% in the same survey last year. </p> <FormattedContent xmlns="http://www.e-consultancy.com/schema/formattedContent/"> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>According to new research from Point Topic, resistance to the internet is growing among the portion of the population currently without access.</Emphasis> </Paragraph> <Paragraph>By early 2006, an estimated 11.2 million households in the UK (44%) had no internet access at home. Of those households, 74.6% don’t think it is important to, a rise from 51.7% in the same survey last year. </Paragraph> </FormattedContent> false 421 361975 UK digital divide driven by internet 'refuseniks' false 2006-10-26T12:15:00+01:00 uk-digital-divide-driven-by-internet-refuseniks 2009-04-29T13:19:15+01:00 2009-04-29T13:19:15+01:00 296