Signal Smartphone costs fell 33% while data use surged 266%

Summary

The report explains that the UK digital shift was helped by a 33% fall in smartphone costs between 2017 and 2022 and a 266% jump in data usage. As a result, smartphones became the main device people use to reach the internet. The figures come from Ofcom's 2022 study of pricing trends for communications services. Amid this shift, 92% of UK adults were using the internet for digital services by 2020. The report argues that cheaper, more accessible, higher-quality and novel services widened the adoption of digital platforms, a trend led largely by the Big 5 technology firms.