Ofcom has just released its third ‘Nations & Regions Communications Market’ report — and interestingly, following my last post on getting rid of landlines, it highlights an emerging trend:

In the UK’s biggest cities, such as Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, and Manchester, an ever-larger segment of the population is living without the use of fixed-line telephony. Across the UK as a whole, 87% of homes have a fixed-line telephone (down three percentage points from last year). The 12% of homes which rely on mobile phones only are able, increasingly, to access broadband through wireless technology.

The report is divided into sections for each of the home nations, plus a UK-wide summary (PDF):

• 30% of adults have used the internet to watch video content
• TV viewing is highest in Scotland and the North East of England
• Wales has the highest level of radio listening
• Consumers in urban areas are increasingly reliant on mobile telephony
• Broadband take-up in rural areas has caught up with urban areas
• Non-ownership of services is due to perceived cost and lack of interest

You can view the summary and regional reports on the Ofcom site, or take a look at some of the other coverage from around the web:

• UK Snapshot: Broadband Take-Up Highest In Countryside, 30 Percent Watch Video
  paidContent:UK
• Fears of digital divide are groundless
  The Guardian