MuniWireless

The EU has conducted a survey of 27,000 households in 27 countries and the results are astounding: 24 percent of EU households have given up fixed telephone lines in favor of mobile phones. In the new Member states, that number is even higher: 39 percent. The landline infrastructure in many eastern European countries is poor so residents have simply moved to the mobile phone. Here’s another interesting statistic: 22 percent use their computer to make calls over the Internet (long live Skype). More people connect to the Internet using some form of wireless service and almost one third buy bundled telecom packages (triple play: VOIP, Internet, TV).

Below are more detailed findings from the survey:

• Users are increasingly switching from fixed to mobile phones with around 24% of EU 27 households just using mobile. The proportion is significantly higher in the new Member States (39%) than in the EU 15 (20%), with the exception of Finland (61%) and Portugal (48%). In some Member States this increase is accompanied by an increased use of wireless access to the Internet via the mobile phone network or satellite (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Italy).

• 22% of European households with Internet connections now use their PC for making phone calls. This figure is twice as large in Latvia (58%), Lithuania (51%), Czech Republic (50%), Poland (49%) and Bulgaria (46%).

• 29% of European households buy two or more telecom and media products from a single service provider (an increase of 9% since winter 2007), the combination of fixed telephony and Internet access being the most common.

• Almost half of European households have access to the Internet (49%) and an increasing majority enjoy a broadband connection (36% of EU 27, an increase of 8% since winter 2007). Most connected households access the Internet via an ADSL line (59%, an increase of 4% compared to last year). The main reason quoted for not having an access at home remains the lack of interest in Internet (50% of respondents).

• 22% of European households have difficulty contacting their Internet service provider about connection problems. A similar number said the cost of the support they get is not affordable.

• One in four mobile users is not always able to connect to the mobile network to make a phone call. 28% are sometimes cut off.

• More households are receiving digital terrestrial television: an increase of 5% since winter 2007 to now 12% of EU 27 households. The share of households with analogue television reception via an aerial has fallen from 45% to 41%.

• One in ten EU households receives television by more than one means (aerial, cable, satellite, Internet). The figure is even higher in France (25% of households), UK (22%), Italy (19%), Sweden (19%), and Cyprus (16%).

The full text of the EU-wide household survey can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/library/ext_studies/index_en.htm