The latest research from Informa ranks the UK as the most digital country in Western Europe. The Converging Media (CM) Index, published quarterly by Informa gave the UK a CM index of 30.5 at end 2005 putting it some distance ahead of the second ranked market - Finland - on 23.1
"The UK is by far Western Europe's most digital market and its surprising number one ranking is due to the huge take-up of digital TV, the sector now boasts a base of almost 17 million users." comments Steve Mullins, editor of Informa Telecoms & Media's research service. "On top of digital TV, the UK market also added 900,000 new customers to mobile-broadband services in the final quarter of last year, accounting for an impressive growth of 23 percent." The UK now has 4.8 million mobile high-speed subscribers.
Although ranking second in the CM Index, the Finns outdid the Brits with their on-the-go appetites as the market's cellcos added 35,000 new broadband subs in the final quarter - a spike of 85 percent - to give Finland close to 80,000 mobile fat-pipe users.
Italy, although ranked third, has Western Europe's leading mobile-broadband sector, with close to 10 million subscribers. "The country's CM Index of 21.1 is largely based on its mobile performance rather than by fixed broadband and digital TV" comments Mullins.
"The UK is by far Western Europe's most digital market and its surprising number one ranking is due to the huge take-up of digital TV, the sector now boasts a base of almost 17 million users." comments Steve Mullins, editor of Informa Telecoms & Media's research service. "On top of digital TV, the UK market also added 900,000 new customers to mobile-broadband services in the final quarter of last year, accounting for an impressive growth of 23 percent." The UK now has 4.8 million mobile high-speed subscribers.
Although ranking second in the CM Index, the Finns outdid the Brits with their on-the-go appetites as the market's cellcos added 35,000 new broadband subs in the final quarter - a spike of 85 percent - to give Finland close to 80,000 mobile fat-pipe users.
Italy, although ranked third, has Western Europe's leading mobile-broadband sector, with close to 10 million subscribers. "The country's CM Index of 21.1 is largely based on its mobile performance rather than by fixed broadband and digital TV" comments Mullins.