Smartphones now most popular way to get online in UK

Smartwatches had yet to make much impact in the UK in 2014, Ofcom’s annual Communications Market Report found. Less than five per cent of UK adults own one – but Ofcom expects that percentage to rise when 2015’s figures are ready.

The big take-up of mobile browsing has been attributed to increased 4G coverage. The average mobile use is nearly two hours a day, compared with one hour nine minutes on laptops. While laptop users spend only 69 minutes.

93 percent of adult in UK now have a mobile phone.

Ofcom said the toppling of the laptop was a “landmark moment”.

“Today’s report shows just how important reliable, fast internet access is to millions of consumers and businesses”, said Ofcom boss Sharon White. “For the first time, smartphones have overtaken laptops as the UK’s most popular internet device and are now the hub of our daily lives”, said James Thickett, Ofcom director of research.

Just four years ago, only one-in-five adults had such a phone. Almost a quarter of Scottish folks have taken a selfie, with 8 percent admitting to snapping at least one per week. Surprisingly the younger generation is more careful when it comes to backing up their photos. “Just last year laptops were in first place”.

When the researches split them up in age demographics, the young 16 to 24 group was once again victorious as 61 percent (61%) of these individuals rated themselves as 7 or above.

Television, however, still met most people’s entertainment needs.

A further 13% regretted some online posts.

In fact a lot of us can’t eat, cross a busy road, push a buggy, sit in a cinema or talk to a friend without doing “it”… which, if you haven’t already guessed, is relentlessly checking the phone.

In terms of the sector’s financial health, Ofcom found that telco revenues fell 2% in the 12 months to the end of December 2014 to £37.4 billion, due to falling wholesale service revenue.

Tablets are also seeing an increased use in Scotland. “This has been uttered time and time again, yet too many organisations are still taking a “wait and see” approach, which leaves them forever playing catch-up with sophisticated cyber criminals”.

All hail the rise of the smartphone! It had climbed to over 20 hours and 30 minutes in 2014.

Just 5% of Brits had invested in a smartwatch.

All of this rapid acceleration in technology and connectivity has seen the amount of time we spend online double in the last decade. Also 18% use their smartphones to conduct video calls on the net.

TV still reaches the overwhelming majority of people, however. Despite this, TV viewing is down from 2013 with 90% watching TV each week compared to 93% in 2013.