Tag: Royal Mail

Families with broadband can save GBP 70 per month through online access to cheaper household goods and services, according to new research from the Post Office. Those who are online paint a picture of a ‘broad-bound’ society as 96 per cent consider internet access to be a lifestyle necessity they could not live without.

Yet one third of UK households are missing out on these savings, and the wider benefits, because they are still not online. A total of almost GBP 4.5 billion of potential savings are being missed by non-web users each year, in what is a worrying effect of a deepening digital exclusion.

Broadband in the Home: An Analysis of the Financial Costs and Benefits was commissioned by Post Office Telecoms to calculate, for the first time, the financial impact of the UK’s digital divide. Fear of the initial expense of getting a PC and internet connection, or fear of online fraud, is actually deepening the digital divide amongst those who could stand to benefit most from getting online.

One year on from the launch of its broadband service, this research will inform the Post Office’s continuing work to get the digitally excluded online by improving accessibility and transparency.

The Post Office is considering launching a mobile phone service after the success of its move into the residential broadband market, which has given the company more than 500,000 customers only a year after the launch.
Having just reduced its broadband prices, the Post Office also reckons that it is benefiting from the credit crunch as cash-strapped homeowners look for the best deals in the market.
Telecoms is a crucial area for the Post Office as it looks to increase revenues, and it is roughly on track to hit its target of a million broadband users by 2011, according to Martin Moran, head of telecommunications at the Post Office.
The Post Office’s broadband and home phone service has been particularly popular among lower income households, as it allows consumers to pay cash at their local branch rather than signing a direct debit. But the worsening economic climate has attracted consumers from higher socio-economic groups.
It is also very interested in offering a mobile phone service, using the infrastructure of one of the five existing mobile phone networks. Moran said a mobile phone service was still “in the planning” stage but something could also be rolled out next year.