Brussels, 30/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 27 April, the European Commission published the main findings of a Eurobarometer poll, carried out by TNS Opinion et Social, on the behaviour of EU citizens with regard to digital technology, covering the 27 EU member states, Croatia, Turkey and the Turkish community of Cyprus in 2006, with an average of 1,000 households polled per country, or some 27,000 in total. The poll can be accessed at: http: //ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/info_centre/documentation/ studies_ext_consult/index_en.htm#2007.
The results show that 42% of European households are now online, a 4% rise on 2005. High speed internet access is becoming more common, with 28% of households making use of it. The share of low speed lines fell by 3% to 12%. Some 17% of EU citizens with an internet connection say they use it to make telephone calls. The study shows that the number of people using the web for phone calls is twice as high in the new member states. EU citizens are tending to use a single supplier for all telecoms services with the most common combination being landline and internet access.
Mobile telephone use is expanding at the expense of landlines. The percentage of households with at least one mobile phone remains unchanged at 81% but the proportion of households without a landline and only using one or more mobile phones rose 4% to 22%. The number of households with at least one landline fell 5% to 72%.
The percentage of Europeans knowing about the 112 emergency telephone number (the same number applies across the EU) remains low (40%). The report notes that several countries should improve deployment of 112 (see EUROPE 9392).
EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said that the digital economy was growing fast in Europe with more and more homes taking advantage of convergence among landlines, mobile phones and internet access. She said that the reform of EU telecoms rules later this year would have to take this fast evolving technology environment into account and boost competition. (gc)