The latest report out of Britain's Office of Communications shows the United Kingdom is ahead of most other countries in Europe when it comes to use of digital media.

The “International Communications Market” report also covers France, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United States and Japan, and is designed to give international comparisons for the United Kingdom, according to an eMarketer report.

eMarketer noted that the report's data agrees closely with its own estimates for 2007, which puts the United Kingdom ahead of the United States for the first time. Although there are notable levels of broadband penetration already in Britain, take-up is still rising, the report indicated.

In the United Kingdom, 33 percent of mobile phone users and other mobile device users send picture messages, 16 percent use mobiles to connect to the Internet and 10 percent use them for e-mail, the report stated.

According to the report, adults in the United Kingdom also spend more time on social networking sites than other Europeans polled, with two in five UK adults logging in regularly to these sites, averaging 23 visits and 5.3 hours each month.

At the beginning of 2007, 76 percent of UK households were receiving digital television services, a higher percentage than any other countries surveyed.

The eMarketer UK Internet Users and Usage report with comparative data is scheduled to be published in February 2008.