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By Jo Best, 19 January 2004 13:20

NEWS The latest figures from the government reveal that the amount of internet users is still on the way up – but dial-up connections are heading in a distinctly downward direction.

Internet subscriptions between November 2002 and the same period last year show a reasonable increase – up 5.3 per cent – but the month-on-month rise between October and November 2003 showed a small increase in internet connections of just 0.3 per cent.

But it's broadband that's leading the way when it comes to connections, according to the Office of National Statistics. The number of web users choosing to access the internet via ASDL showed a hefty 117.9 per cent rise; dial-up connections turned in a decrease of one per cent through the year.

There's no denying that broadband continues to grow its market share quite substantially, due in part to better availability and advertising – broadband now makes up 21.5 per cent of all internet connections, up from just 10 per cent a year ago – but dial-up still makes up the lion's share of all internet usage in Britain.

It's a situation that looks set to continue for a while yet, according to IDC analyst Chris Drake.

IDC sees UK broadband growth accelerating this year or next year, but success depends largely on whether ISPs can convince dial-up users to make the jump. "More work is needed to convince dial users of the benefits of broadband," he said. "There is a need for ISPs to consider offering content services to dial users, to whet their appetite, and give them an insight into how they could benefit from a faster connection."

ZDNet UK's Matt Broersma contributed to this report.