The Communications Market 2011: Wales
More consumers in Wales benefit from broadband
More consumers in Wales benefit from broadband
There has been a sharp increase in the broadband take-up in Wales during the past twelve months.
The 7 per cent rise to 71 per cent has narrowed the gap between broadband take-up in Wales and the UK as a whole (74 per cent).
Broadband penetration is higher in urban areas (72 per cent, up 10 percentage points on 2009) than it is in rural areas (67 per cent) while mobile broadband has remained static at 16 per cent.
Social networking sites are now used by almost half (48 per cent) of adults in Wales - the fastest increase across all of the UK nations - with Wales now level with the UK average.
Rhodri Williams, Ofcom's Director in Wales said: "Broadband has the capacity to change our lives, to make an enormous contribution to revitalizing our economy and transforming our public services.
"It is good to see Wales making great inroads in the take-up of broadband.
"People are taking advantage of the broadband services and initiatives being made available to them, and this has contributed to the sharp rise in broadband take up.
Ofcom is helping to drive this process forward by promoting competition and encouraging investment.
This, coupled with financial assistance from the Welsh and UK Governments, along with growing investment from telecoms companies, will ensure that citizens and consumers in Wales get the broadband services that they want."
Ofcom's Communications Market Report also reveals that more people in Wales listen to the radio, and for longer, than listeners in the UKs other nations.
On average 93 per cent of the Welsh public listen to the radio every week and the average weekly listening was 23 hours and 18 minutes per person, compared to the UK average of 91 per cent listening and 22 hours and 18 minutes per person.
Twenty seven per cent of adults say they have DAB radio set, the lowest figure across the Nations and ten percentage points below the UK average of 37 per cent.
Satellite TV remains the most widely used digital TV platform in Wales, with take-up significantly higher than the UK average.
Half (51 per cent) of Welsh homes have satellite TV compared with the UK average of 40 per cent.
TV viewing in the UK is highest in Wales and Scotland (averaging 4.5 hours per day) while consumers in Wales have the highest overall satisfaction levels in the UK with fixed (93 per cent) and mobile (95 per cent) telephony.
TV viewing in the UK is highest in Scotland and Wales (averaging 4.5 hours per day).
Satellite TV remains the most widely used digital TV platform (51 per cent), with take-up significantly higher than the UK average of 40 per cent.
Expenditure on television output per head of the population in Wales is down 13 per cent from 9.46 in 2009 to 8.27 in 2010.
From 2005 to 2010, there was an 11 per cent reduction in the combined share of the main PSB channels in Wales (falling to 53 per cent in 2010).
Fifty four per cent say that TV is their main source of local news, compared to 52 per cent in the UK.
More people in Wales listen to the radio, and for longer, than listeners in the UKs other nations.
On average 93 per cent of the Welsh public listen to the radio every week and the average weekly listening was 23 hours and 18 minutes per person, compared to the UK average of 91 per cent listening and 22 hours and 18 minutes per person.
Some 62 per cent of the radio listening hours in Wales were to BBC services. Local commercial stations attracted a share of 26 per cent (UK average of 32 per cent).
Commercial radio revenue per head in Wales was also the lowest of all four nations and stands at 5.41, compared with the UK at 6.58.
Twenty seven per cent of adults in Wales say they have a DAB radio set.
This is the lowest across the Nations and ten percentage points below the UK average of 37 per cent.
Broadband take-up in Wales has risen sharply in the past year up from 64 per cent in 2010 to 71 per cent in 2011.
Broadband penetration is higher in Wales urban areas (72 per cent, an increase of 10 percentage points on 2009) than it is in rural areas (67 per cent).
But take-up is relatively low amongst those aged 55+ (48 per cent), in DE social groups (55 per cent) and in households with incomes less than 17.5k per annum (56 per cent)
However, take-up is high among households with children where 83 per cent have a broadband connection.
Social networking sites are now used by almost half (48 per cent) of adults in Wales. This is the fastest increase across all of the UK nations
Some 80 per cent of homes in Wales have a fixed line phone (85 per cent in the UK as a whole) and 87 per cent of adults use a mobile phone (91 per cent in the UK as a whole).
Nineteen per cent of people live in a mobile-only home - the same as 2010 but higher than the UK average of 15 per cent.
Some 29 per cent of mobile phone owners have a smartphone handset, the same as the UK average.
Consumers in Wales have the highest overall satisfaction levels in the UK with fixed (93 per cent) and mobile (95 per cent) telephony.
Wales's Communication Market
Television and audio-visual content
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