The number of Britons with internet access has overtaken the number of PC owners for the first time, highlighting the rise of smartphones.According to an extensive report from Ofcom, 78% of the UK is now online - but only 77% say they own a PC.
The telecoms regulator said that was down to the rise of smartphones, with a quarter of adults and almost half of teenagers owning such a device - with 59% buying their smartphone over the past year.
"The ownership of a PC has always been a constraint on the take-up of home internet services, with the cost of the PC preventing some households from getting online and others saying they do not have the knowledge/skills to use a computer," the report said.
"However, the mass-market emergence of internet-enabled phones and internet services designed specifically for mobile phones (such as mobile applications) means that increasingly people are getting online through mobile phones," it added.
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