Broadband News

A new survey by broadband provider Orange has found that one in five babies born in the UK could be online within ten minutes of birth.

The study involved interviews with 1,000 new and expectant parents and aimed to highlight the way that the internet has affected birth announcements in the last two decades.

It was found that 21 per cent of parents had created a social networking page dedicated to their newborn child.

Paul Burns, head of multimedia from Orange, commented: "The birth of a new baby is a life-changing event, so wanting to capture the moment and sharing it with friends and family as soon as possible is only natural."

The research suggests that some babies are being seen online before they have even entered this world, with one in seven parents posting copies of ultrasound pictures online.

Every year, an average of 722,500 babies are born in the UK, with 57,000 estimated to have a social network page.

Orange has recently announced its intention to provide better 3G internet services to its customers throughout the UK with the launch of its HTC Shift phone, which also supports Wi-Fi technology, allowing people access to high-speed wireless broadband on the move.