2 min
69% of Spanish households had a broadband Internet subscription at the end of 2013, whereas the figure for the European Union was 76%. The data were gathered in a comparative report published recently by the European Commission, which confirms Spain remains below the EU average in numerous digital agenda indicators, such as broadband penetration, Internet use and online shopping.
The report also explains that the percentage of high-speed connections (at least 30 Mbps) is also below the EU average (15% compared to 21%), whereas ultra-fast connections (at least 100 Mbps) make up 6% of the total (5% in the EU).
Regarding the mobile telephone sector, 4G was available in Spain for 47% of the population, compared to 59% in the EU. However, the mobile broadband subscription rate was 73%, above the community-wide average of 62%. In 2013, 66% of Spanish citizens stated that they use the Internet weekly, below the EU average of 72%. Spain also posted lower daily Internet use rates (54% compared to 62% in the EU). Last year, 24% of the Spanish population confirmed that they had never been online, a figure above the EU average of 20%.
With regard to online shopping, the report sets forth that 32% of Spaniards had purchased products or services online in the previous year, a figure well below the EU average (47%). Additionally, only 30% of major Spanish companies sell online (compared to 35% in the EU), although this percentage drops to 12% (compared to 14%) for SMEs.
On a more positive note, 44% of the Spanish population use the Internet for e-management services, above the community-wide average of 41%. Likewise, Spain exceeds the EU average in e-health services, with 54% of hospitals having a high-speed connection (36% in the EU) and 21% allowing patients to access, in part or in full, their medical history (compared to 9% in the EU).
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