UK regulator: Data use rising, telecoms revenue falling

Data usage across the United Kingdom's Internet infrastructure is increasing sharply thanks to mobile broadband, but customers are paying less to use telecommunications services, according to research from Ofcom.

On Thursday, the telecoms regulator published its annual Communications Market Report, which found that UK broadband take-up grew by three percentage points between the first quarters of 2009 and 2010, reaching 71 percent. However, fixed broadband take-up remained flat, indicating that mobile broadband was the driving force behind the increase.

Data volumes over the country's Internet infrastructure rose by 68 percent over the same period, with data carried over mobile networks jumping by 240 percent, according to Ofcom. The data explosion is partly down to the increased consumption of high-bitrate online video, although factors such as the rise of social networking and online gaming also come into play.

Read more of "Ofcom: Data use rising, telecoms revenue falling" at ZDNet UK.