IT Adoption Figures for UK

Interesting reading in new research from Ofcom which points to UK consumers being early adopters of many new technologies, all of which facilitate the growth of the freelance/portfolio economy. 

The report highlights the faster uptake of laptop PCs (as opposed to desktops) and of smartphones (70% growth in the last year alone).  However, availability of super-fast broadband is low and as The Register observes only 0.2% of UK homes have this service compared to 2.0% in Germany, 1.4% in Italy and 1.1% in France.  If (always a big “if”) existing plans are achieved, then with two-thirds of the population covered by 2015, the UK will be near the top of world rankings.

Super-fast broadband will further enable flexible working patterns and the growth of freelance/portfolio/sovereign individual working styles with all of the benefits to the environment (less commuting related pollution); rural repopulation, productivity and lower costs which that will bring.