Britain boasts some of the highest levels of internet connectivity and broadband penetration in Europe, according to a report by the European Commission.
Britain ranks sixth in terms of the percentage of regular and frequent internet users in the population, and is top of the list when it comes to the share of enterprises selling online.
The Digital Competitiveness Report, published on 4 August , summarises the results of five years of European policy under the Barroso Commission, which has promoted the latest communication technologies, networks and services.
It shows that Europe's digital sector has made strong progress since 2005: 56 per cent of Europeans now regularly use the internet, with 80 per cent of them via a high-speed connection (compared to only one third in 2004), making Europe the world leader in broadband internet.
The report said that people aged 16 to 24 are the most active internet users. Seventy-three per cent of them regularly use advanced services to create and share online content.
Sixty-six per cent of all Europeans under 24 use the internet every day, compared to the EU average of 43 per cent. They also have more advanced internet skills than the rest of the population, according to a European Commission study on digital literacy.
Europe is also claimed to be the world's first truly mobile continent, with more mobile subscribers than citizens - a take up rate of 119 per cent.
The Digital Competitiveness report can be found here.
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