New figures indicate European slowdown in Internet progress
Progress on the 'unbundling of the local loop', the process whereby greater choice and more competitive pricing of telecommunications services such as Internet connection is made available, is slow in the European Union according to the latest figures. Just one per cent of the EU is using DSL (digital subscriber lines) according to the European competitive telecommunications association (ECTA). Most countries have only unbundled between zero and four per cent of their lines, with two exceptions - Denmark and Finland, who have unbundled more than a quarter. Unbundling the local loop is seen as a key element of the European Commission's eEurope plan, as it is a means of making Internet access more widely available, both in terms of provider and cost, to the general public. ECTA's managing director, Phil Evins, claimed that the figures showed the need for action. 'The industry now needs swift action by national regulators and their political masters to ensure that effective wholesale and interconnection products are available, so that there can at least be competition at a service level,' he said. He added that there is a danger that the present incumbents will have an even larger domination in DSL services than they already enjoy in voice telephony in broadband. The news came as figures from the UK revealed that the country has experienced its first drop in the number of homes connected to the Internet. From 40 per cent of all homes in the UK having Internet connection in May this year, the figure has fallen to 39 per cent, according to the figures compiled by Oftel. The organisation first started gauging the level of home Internet connection in January 1999, when the figures stood at 12 per cent. The level has risen consistently since then, until this month's drop.