uSwitch fortells of dial-up's demise

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Broadband laggards are readying themselves for a dial-up mutiny that will result in less than one per cent of the web-enabled UK population using this method to get connected, according to research.

By 2010, eight out of 10 households will be connected to the internet, but just 0.5 per cent of them will do so using dial-up, signally the death of this outdated technology.

Falling retail broadband pricing, which dropped by up to 17 per cent last year, and greater line availability thanks to local loop unbundling (LLU) have helped fuel the shift so far.

More lines being opened up and BT's plans to reduce wholesale line rental costs this year will also play a role in the dial-up exodus over the coming few years, according to independent comparison and switching service uSwitch, which published the research.

"The broadband market is booming which has led to prices being slashed to an all time low," said Steve Weller, head of telecommunications at uSwitch.

"While the major ISPs continue to offer a dial-up service, they do not actively market it, and the pricing shows that they are clearly encouraging customers to go straight to broadband. Broadband is now the same price, and in some cases cheaper than dial-up, and there is no question of its supremacy in terms of the applications its enables. The days of dial-up are most definitely numbered."

Weller added: "The future heralds not only the death of dial-up, but also the birth of bundles. Companies are increasingly 'bundling' together products such as broadband, home phone, mobiles and digital TV to produce cost effective packages which provide customers with comprehensive services."

Image credit: VisualMedia

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