The UK Internet benefits from a virtuous cycle of strong consumer purchasing power and cheap connectivity.

According to the just-published UK Online report from eMarketer, as telecom competition drives down prices, ever-growing numbers of Brits are upgrading to broadband speeds.

The UK now boasts the fifth-largest broadband population in the world. With 12 million broadband households in 2006, the UK ranks just ahead of Germany (11.8 million) and France (11.2 million).

Faster Internet connections mean that UK broadband users now spend up to six hours more online each week.