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1999 Archives

The Internet is Booming in the UK
News Service Story

INTERNET access in the United Kingdom has boomed since Christmas and the online population has risen past the 10 million mark, according to the latest reports.

The abundance of free service providers has been the main attraction for the three million new users that have become seduced by the benefits of the Internet in the last five months.

Two reports from Fletcher Research are the largest surveys to be completed in the UK and have received more than 39,000 responses with the majority, 80 per cent, still being from the more affluent ABC1 bracket.

Head of Internet practice at Fletcher, William Reeve, said: "We might have expected to see some shake-up of the traditional, almost cliched, perception of the UK Internet user as a male, university educated, aged 45 and affluent.

"While almost a quarter of UK Internet users are now over 45 and four out of every five users are female, the entire Internet population remains resolutely affluent. The Internet in Britain is still not a mass market phenomenon."

Contact:
Fletcher Research
17 Rathbone Street, London, United Kingdom, W1P 1AF.
Telephone: +44 171 631 0202
Fax: +44 171 631 5252.