Internet trends in 2011: What the web looked like last year

Something that a number of us now take for granted, the internet continues to attain more and more users with each passing year. 2011 was no exception to this and trends for the past year have shown the internet and broadband services are set to continue to grow.

According to figures, around one third of the UK was given access to ultra-fast fibre optic broadband services in 2011, signalling a major development in this essential service. The internet is now used for everything from casual communication to shopping and providing a fast and reliable service through this type of broadband was seen as a major achievement for many companies and residential users.

Our love of the internet and all of its service is so pronounced, in fact, that a staggering 86% of UK residents were found to have logged on to the web on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. This figure is 10% higher than it was two Christmas’ previous, in 2009 and showed that nothing gets in the way of our internet habits.

Of course, Christmas Day does see a slight shift in our internet usage, with the middle of the day being notoriously quiet for access. Evenings, however, see this rise once again – presumably as users start experimenting with their new gadgets and getting ready to take advantage of post-Christmas sales.

This is somewhat confirmed by the fact that this Christmas saw almost 7 million Android and iOS devices activated on Christmas Day alone – giving a large proportion of users the perfect reason to access the internet that day.

In fact, Christmas 2011 proved to be a lucrative time for online retailers as a number of people chose to shop from home rather than bracing the crowded high-streets and shopping centres. 30% of people who connected to the internet on Boxing Day did so for shopping purposes, with 62% of them looking at sales and discounted products.

Alongside this, broadband and internet services in 2011 also showed a growing popularity for combined services. Examples of this include Sky broadband which is often combined with digital television subscriptions and phone packages. These products have proven to be popular with consumers by offering them greater convenience alongside high quality services.

Of course, broadband was the preferred form of connection for the year, with its widespread use now being accepted as standard procedure. For the first quarter of the year, worldwide broadband subscribers was said to have hit more than 540 million, growing at a rate of just under 3% each quarter.

In terms of fixed line broadband subscribers, the UK appeared sixth in the list of top ten, with a large number of residents investing in the service. 2011 is therefore expected to see the dominance of broadband and internet services continue, with an increased number of subscribers anticipated.

Regardless of whether these users select a combined service, such as that provided by Sky broadband, or a separate service, broadband is sure to become a staple addition to homes and businesses across the UK and the world, with further roll-outs of fibre-optic services expected.