The internet is taking off in Britain, with a "massive rise" in connections in the past 12 months.

Some 4m households got themselves connected to the internet in the 12 months to May, bringing the total in the UK to 10m.

A MORI survey for Oftel, the government-appointed telecoms regulator, also found that more households were choosing to buy fully unmetered internet connections, with 24% of households connected to the internet in this way compared with 18% in February.

A spokeswoman for Oftel said: "We are delighted that more and more people are using the internet.

"We are embarking on further research to find out why there has been this massive rise."

Mobile phone ownership was still on the rise, the survey found: 70% of adults claimed to own one, and 15% of consumers considered it their main method of making and receiving calls.

Nine out of 10 consumers without a fixed line at home used a mobile phone, and only 1% of homes owned neither a mobile nor a fixed line telephone.

Although 95% of consumers stated that they were satisfied with their fixed service, almost half were not aware of indirect telephone services available to them over the line that was already in their home.

Chris Kenny, Oftel's director of regulatory policy, said: "These findings show that, in general, consumers are taking advantage of the choices available to them.

"However, there is still evidence that, particularly in the fixed market, there is still a need to increase consumer awareness.

"Satisfaction levels also remain high - with more than 90% of fixed, mobile and internet consumers satisfied with the overall service they receive from their provider."

The survey was conducted by MORI among 2,089 UK adults, as part of Oftel's quarterly research.

Press Association