NI's Gaming And Telecoms Tops UK

More people in Northern Ireland have an MP3 player or an iPod (37%) than any other UK nation (the UK average is 32%) and they are particularly popular in the Belfast area.

More than half of homes in Northern Ireland (52%) have a games console - the highest proportion of the UK.

That's according to the latest Communications Market Report from the broadcast regulator, Ofcom.

It also reported this week that the use of telecoms services is also changing rapidly in Northern Ireland.

Almost one in five households now relies on a mobile phone rather than a traditional fixed-line home phone. This compares to a UK average of 14% and rises to 21% in urban areas.

Fixed-line ownership in Northern Ireland is also down 6% from last year and the use of mobile broadband has increased significantly by 6% from last year and is now used in 14% of all homes in Northern Ireland.

However, people in NI are consistently less satisfied with their home phone, mobile and broadband services than consumers elsewhere in the UK, yet they are also less likely to switch their provider.

For example, when asked if they were satisfied with the value for money of their broadband service, only 74% of respondents said they were "very or fairly satisfied", compared to 84% across the UK.

Denis Wolinski, Ofcom's Director, Northern Ireland, said: "This is the fifth year we have produced the Communications Market Report for Northern Ireland and over the last four years we have seen Northern Ireland catch up, and in some cases overtake, the rest of the UK in the use of the latest communications services. We have also seen the report become established as an invaluable reference source for anyone here with an interest in communications."

(BMcC/GK)