According to Ofcom the UK sends the most text messages in Europe, in fact we Brits send the most text messages in the world except for the USA. Last year an estimated 83 billion text messages where sent in the UK. Also UK consumers have access to the cheapest prices for mobile phones and broadband, but the overall broadband speed in the UK isn’t up to par when compared with our fellow Europeans in Holland, Sweden and France.
According to a report on the BBC web site, which analyses the Ofcom findings, only 10% of UK homes could connect at over 8 megabits (Mbps) a second, compared with 37% in Holland. A report earlier this month from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) placed the UK 21st out of 30 countries in terms of network speeds. The OECD warned that the UK risks falling behind if it did not invest in fast broadband.
In contrast to the broadband deficiencies however, in the UK 88% of households have digital TV on their main set. So how many hours do we spend watching those digital TVs? According to Ofcom, UK households spent 3.8 hours per day watching TV. And if you thought the advent of the Internet, the Playstation 3 and the iPhone would mean we spend less time watching TV then you are wrong. The amount of time Brits spent watching TV increased by more than 3 per cent last year, which is the biggest increase across all the countries surveyed.
If we do a quick calculation that means that the average Brit will sit in front of the TV for 57 days a year which is the same as 8 years during the average adult life time. If that makes you feel bad, then look to Europe for consolation. We watch slightly less TV than viewers in Italy, Poland and Spain - as well as the US, which tops the TV viewing table on 4.6 hours a day (or 70 days a year).