... the rattling of keyboards. A survey out today from broadband market analysts Point Topic says there are now 4.3m households in the UK where someone works from home - and 70% of those are using broadband as a tool. Point Topic says:
"Looking in more detail the BBUS results demonstrate that home workers fall into three broad categories: Freelancers, who are self employed with no employees. These make up 50% (1.9m) of all home working individuals and are distinguished from the second main group: Teleworkers, who make up 42% (1.6m) of home workers. Teleworkers are employees of enterprises with separate premises; finally the third, much smaller group of 0.3 million (8%) which are Home SMEs, running a business from home with employees."
The concentration of homeworkers appears to be in London and the South East which - you might guess - reflects a host of factors including the longest availability of broadband, and the horror and waste of time that is commuting.
The company adds that many of these homeworkers are using smaller ISPs, which means the biggies are missing out on a potentially quite lucrative - and growing - segment of the market. The fact many big ISPs effectively prohibit home working in their terms and conditions for domestic broadband can't help, either.
