94% of Catalan teenagers use the Internet, 11 points higher than the Spanish average

Barcelona (ACN). No less than 94% of teenagers between 10 and 15 years old are regular Internet users in Catalonia according to Telefonica’s 2010 report on the Information Society. This number exceeds the Spanish average (82.9%) by over eleven points. As a whole, Catalonia is also leader in percentage of Internet users with 66% of the population connected, two percentage points above the Spanish figure. "We are all on the Internet", said Lluis Castells, Telefonica’s director of Public Administration. This is exemplified by the higher penetration of e-books among people from 45-64 years old. The brand-new Telefonica Tower, located at the beginning of Barcelona’s Diagonal Avenue in Barcelona, was the venue for the 11^th edition of the report 'The Information Society in Spain’.

After Telefonica’s General Director in Catalonia, Kim Faura, made a general introduction, Territorial President Lluís Castells gave the most outstanding results of last year’s report. He pointed out that young Catalans use the network intensively and that 58.3% of young people have at least one mobile phone. As for personal computers, 96.7% use them regularly for leisure and educational activities. In addition to news on younger people, Castells also highlighted the role of those users in the 45-64 age group in the ever-growing digitalization process in Spain.

Mobile broadband, the driving force

Mobile broadband is still one of the driving forces of growth in the telecommunications sector. Statewide, 20.3% of Internet users access the Internet by mobile phones with 3G technology, a figure five points higher than last year.

Bands associated with machines

There are over two million mobile lines across Spain linked to machines and known as 'm2m' technology.  This type of service is used by 19.9% of the population ??faced with a 4.1%  growth in conventional lines and can be used for services such as remote control, medical assistance or security services.

The event was chaired by the Catalan Minister for Business and Employment, Francesc Xavier Mena. Mena highlighted the importance of innovation. "We should not build a monument to politicians but rather to those behind the information technology that took a step forward to improving people’s living conditions and business competitiveness."