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By editorial@silicon.com, 4 March 1999 15:32

NEWS Britain leads Europe when it comes to joining the Internet, according to report by research firm, NOP. The report claims almost 11,000 Britons join the Net every day, ahead of Germany - which recorded just under 10,000 Net recruits per day - and over four times the French rate. The poll found that 10 million British adults went online at least once last year. Rob Lawson, associate director of NOP, said he was surprised by the findings. "We thought things were beginning to plateau out. But then there was a significant increase in the second half last year: this seems to be down to Freeserve." Freeserve, an ISP (Internet service provider) owned by Dixons, has attracted over one million users since its launch in September. It charges no monthly subscription fee, with the user only paying the cost of a local call. Lawson said the number of users within lower social groups has also increased and that "the use is more focused - people aren't just browsing online. There has been a 100 per cent increase in online shopping in Great Britain within the last six months - we now have around 1.3 million online shoppers." NOP gathered research from 21,000 British households, focusing on people over the age of 15. It then compared the results with similar research in France and Germany. Lawson concluded that Britons are using the Internet more frequently and for longer periods. He predicted that while interactive digital TV will play a greater role in the near future, there are no signs of the Internet market reaching saturation. "It does not show any signs of slowing down," he said.