For 2021, the United Kingdom ranked #4 on the list of countries with the highest internet penetration rates (98%). Internet users within the country have higher data needs, and they are to be accommodated with data plans that have extensive GBs and are cost-friendly.
Internet Users Surged By 6.5% YoY
According to a report, 98% of the UK’s total population of 68.35 million are active internet users in 2022. In 2021, this number stood at 62.86 million people. A surge of 4.13 million users (about twice the population of New Mexico) within a year.
Data Consumption Increased by 143%
Studies show mobile data consumption has also increased along with the number of active internet users. An average mobile data user consumed 2.3GB per month in 2021. This increased to 5.6GB per month in 2022, with a surge of 143.5% within a year.
The principal factor leading to this surge is the ever-increasing consumption of videos and streaming platforms.
Average internet speed improved by 161%
The internet speed in the United Kingdom also increased during the past year. According to a report by Ookla, the internet speed in 2021 was 18MB/s, which increased to a median speed of 47MB/s in 2022, an increase of 161 percent within a year.
Thanks to the rolling out of 5G. Signal Checker reported that 5G is currently available in 160 towns and cities in the UK and its further rollout will continue in 2023, with the UK anticipating complete 5G coverage by 2028.
Inflation Affects Over 92% of the UK Population
A widespread problem faced by most people in 2022 was the increased cost of living. A report from the UK parliament says that around 92 percent of adults reported that their cost of living increased in November & December 2022 compared to the past year.
When asked what actions they took to manage their expenses, 66 percent responded with “cutting off extra expenditure.”
A study indicates that Western European countries, which includes the UK, have higher prices for data plans compared to developing countries.
The average cost of 1GB of data in the UK is £0.65, which is 464% higher than the cost of 1 GB of data in Kyrgyzstan (£0.14/GB), for example.
In times of inflation, purchasing expensive data plans may become difficult, especially when people are tight on their budgets.
Lack of access to mobile data may have ramifications for the people since major sectors, including health, education, governance, and commerce, have shifted to online platforms and applications.
So, what are the viable options to cope with the situation?
Talk Home Announces Fixed UK Prices for 2023
Talk Home Mobile took the initiative to help its customers in times of global inflation. The company fixed the prices of its UK rates and SIM-only deals for 2023. The customers will get the same prices for all their UK-wide plans till December 2023.
“UK fixed prices is an initiative to facilitate the customers so they can line up their finances accordingly. We witnessed a surge in consumer data usage, which demanded a complete restructuring of our plans. We hope our new initiative will help the average man stay connected without mobile services getting out of the pocket,” says Marc Ghione, Head of Marketing at Talk Home.
The increase in data usage and data speeds can be an opportunity as well as a challenge for network providers.
The Network providers will have to provide competitive services and keep costs low during these challenging times to keep their standing in the highly competitive telecom market of the United Kingdom.
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Source: Story.KISSPR.com
Release ID: 501686
Original Source of the original story >> UK Inflation and Data Usage Trends in 2022 – Talk Home
