The latest research from Informa Telecoms & Media ranks the UK as the most digital country in Western Europe. The Converging Media (CM) Index, published quarterly by Informa gave the UK a CM index of 30.5 at end 2005 putting it some distance ahead of the second ranked market - Finland  - on 23.1

"The UK is by far Western Europe's most digital market and its surprising number one ranking is due to the huge take-up of digital TV, the sector now boasts a base of almost 17 million users." comments Steve Mullins, editor of Informa Telecoms & Media's research service Converging Media. "On top of digital TV, the UK market also added 900,000 new customers to mobile-broadband services in the final quarter of last year, accounting for an impressive growth of 23%." The UK now has 4.8 million mobile high-speed subscribers.

Although ranking second in the CM Index, the Finns outdid the Brits with their on-the-go appetites as the market's cellcos added 35,000 new broadband subs in the final quarter - a spike of 85% - to give Finland close to 80,000 mobile fat-pipe users.

Italy, although ranked third, has Western Europe's leading mobile-broadband sector, with close to 10 million subscribers. "The country's CM Index of 21.1 is largely based on its mobile performance rather than by fixed broadband and digital TV" comments Mullins.

For a chart showing Global Digital Content Consumption, click here: http://www.informatelecoms.com/emails/gdcc.gif

About the CM Index

The CM Index measures advanced-digital-content consumption using broadband, digital TV and mobile data. The exclusive figures are published quarterly in Converging Media and cover major markets in Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific.

About Converging Media

Converging Media is the leading source of essential news, data and authoritative analysis for anyone working within the digital-content sector. Converging Media provides up-to-the-minute news and analysis, published fortnightly.

About Informa Telecoms & Media

Informa Telecoms & Media is the leading provider of business intelligence and strategic marketing solutions to global telecoms and media markets. Driven by constant first-hand contact with the industry our 90 analysts and researchers produce a range of intelligence services including news and analytical products, in-depth market reports and datasets focused on technology, strategy and content.

Informa Telecoms & Media also organises more than 125 annual events, attended by more than 70,000 executives. In addition to the GSM>3G World Series, our events cover subjects as diverse as fixed and mobile operator strategy, technology, TV, mobile music and games.

Informa Telecoms & Media is always willing to work with journalists to provide stats, data or comment for articles.

For further information, please contact:

Kathryn Bushnell

Marketing & Communications Director, Informa Telecoms & Media

Tel:  +44 (0) 20 7017 4852

Email   kathryn.bushnell@informa.com