Northern Ireland has the highest ownership of tablet computers in the UK, according to Ofcom's Communications Market Report for Northern Ireland 2013 published today.
The number of people owning a tablet in Northern Ireland has more than trebled in the past year, with nearly one in three homes (29%) having one, compared with 24% in the UK. Take-up was particularly marked in urban areas and homes with children.
The surge reflects the continuing rise in take-up and use of the internet in Northern Ireland.
The report also reveals that eight in ten households (80%) now have access to the internet, up from 73% the previous year.
People in Northern Ireland are increasingly accessing the internet on their mobile phones; smartphone ownership is up by a third, to 45%, in the past year.
Jonathan Rose, Ofcom's Northern Ireland Director, said: The rise of the tablet computer is the big story from this year's report.
Since they were launched just a few years ago, take-up of tablets has reached nearly a third of homes in Northern Ireland. Consumers value the portability and quick access to the internet at home and on the move that these devices provide.
This is also reflected in another sharp rise in smartphone ownership with nearly half of us owning one.
It is encouraging to see that the availability, take-up and use of most communications services in Northern Ireland are now on a par with and, in some cases, ahead of the rest of the United Kingdom.
Where we are doing less well is mobile coverage and the report highlights several initiatives that will improve coverage.
The report gives an insight into the communications devices people in Northern Ireland have and how they use them.
Social media continues to be popular among people in Northern Ireland, with more than half (53%) accessing Facebook, Twitter and similar services online, either at home or on the move. A similar proportion (51%) say they bank online, while three in five (60%) purchase goods and services on the internet.
Northern Ireland leads the way in take-up of pay TV, with two-thirds (66%) of homes having Sky, Virgin Media, BT Vision or paid-for top-up services (e.g. Top-Up TV), compared with 59% for the UK as a whole.
New research, carried out for this year's report, also highlights the popularity of Republic of Ireland (RoI) TV channels in Northern Ireland. One in four people watch RTE channels (One and Two) every week, with smaller but still significant numbers watching TG4 and TV3. RoI television services, with the exception of TV3, became more widely available in Northern Ireland after digital switchover in October 2012.
Other key findings for Northern Ireland
Use of online services
Sixty per cent of internet users in Northern Ireland say they shop online and around three-quarters (74%) of online shoppers said they felt secure when paying online, broadly in line with the UK average.
Mobile coverage set to improve
Mobile users in Northern Ireland are more likely to be dissatisfied and more likely to experience problems with mobile coverage than consumers in the other UK nations 75% of respondents in NI had experienced a problem, compared to the UK average of 52%. Not getting a signal is the problem experienced by most respondents (59%).
The report sets out upcoming developments that are set to improve communication services in Northern Ireland. These include the Northern Ireland Executive's Broadband Improvement Project, the Mobile Infrastructure Project and ongoing investment by operators in mobile networks.
Radio listeners value local content
In radio, Ofcom research shows that listeners value local content, with a far bigger share tuning into local commercial and BBC stations than in other nations (58% of people compared to 38% in the UK as a whole).
DAB take-up
Across all the UK nations, take-up of DAB digital radio is lowest in Northern Ireland (24%), compared with an average of 41% in the UK.
TV and audio-visual content
The proportion of homes with Freeview as their main TV viewing platform has increased from 26% to 32% over the past year.
Availability of superfast broadband highest in the UK
The availability of superfast broadband in Northern Ireland is the highest across the UK with 95% of premises able to access fibre enabled cabinets in June 2013.
High satisfaction with postal services
Nine out of ten people in Northern Ireland are satisfied with Royal Mail. This is primarily driven by satisfaction with delivery times such as the time of day post is delivered (80% compared with 71% across the UK) and the reliability of delivery time (87% compared with 81%).
Over half of people living in Northern Ireland think the Royal Mail's First Class service for posting standard letters is good value for money, compared to 47% across the UK as a whole.
However, a quarter (26%) have experienced a problem with mis-delivered post in the past year, more than those in Wales and in Scotland.
Highlights of the UK report
Huge growth in take-up of smartphones and tablets is creating a nation of media multi-taskers, transforming the traditional living room of our parents and grandparents into a digital media hub.
Ofcom's Communications Market Report 2013 reveals that people are still coming together to watch TV in the living room 91% of UK adults view TV on the main set each week, up from 88% in 2002. However, an increasing array of digital media are now vying for their attention. People are streaming videos, firing off instant messages and updating their social media status all while watching more TV than before.
These activities are mostly carried out using smartphones, with over half of adults (51%) now owning these devices, almost double the proportion two years ago (27%).
At the same time, tablet ownership has more than doubled in the past year, rising from 11% of h
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Northern Ireland has the highest ownership of tablet computers in the UK, according to Ofcom's Communications Market Report for Northern Ireland 2013 published today.
