UK internet connections drop in December

The latest figures show a slight fall in total internet accounts

The Office of National Statistics has reported a fall in the number of internet accounts in the UK in December 2005.

Although the number of broadband connections has continued to rise, the latest figures show a slight fall in total accounts of 0.1 per cent. So far over 64 per cent of UK internet connections are at broadband speeds.

"The index of all connections showed that between December 2004 and December 2005 there was a 5.6 per cent increase in the total number of active subscriptions to the internet," the report stated.

"The index decreased by 0.1 per cent between November and December 2005. Dial-up connections continue to decline and now account for 35.8 per cent of all internet connections."

This will be the last time that the Office of National Statistics releases monthly figures. After consultations with ISPs the Office has decided to move to quarterly reports.