As part of this move, the week between November 16 and November 20 has been dubbed as the Get Safe Online week, chiefly with a view to increase awareness of broadband internetsafety issue among people. Moreover, the video presentation that advises the consumers to secure themselves by avoiding pitfalls while shopping online, has been launched as part of the support rendered by Ofcom.

The telecommunications watchdog also uses the video presentation to advise the buyers over the internet to ensure that their personal computers or laptops were fortified with the most advanced versions of protective firewall and anti-virus software. Ofcom also urges the shoppers to use the credit cards in the place of debit cards while engaging in purchase on the internet for anything that costs more than GBP 100.

This opportunity has been taken by the telecommunications regulator to make the customers realise that they are entitled to a cooling term of seven days to change their mind over something that was purchased over the internet. Ofcomalso made it clear that when they purchased from a supplier or seller based in the United Kingdom, they were provided with the same rights those were provided to those who shopped on the high street.

The study was carried out by an organisation known as Digital Unite that specialises in aiding the elderly people in the country to use IT. The organisation claims that in the present times, the knowledge of acquiring cheaper things on the internet using broadband service is mainly applied by younger people.

The organisation maintains that spreading the word among the elderly people of the country that the younger generation is currently enjoying better deals on the internet by means of broadband service, can considerably motivate them to participate in the broadband revolution of the new generation.

According to Chuck Doherty, the chief broadband analyst at Broadband Suppliers, if the presence of the myriad shopping and freebie offers on the internet proved to be the perfect motivator to lead the elderly to the broadband mainstream, it should be the stressed factor when it came to educating the elderly people on the scopes of broadband internet access.

“Such nuances could culminate into precursors of a major change, particularly when the country is going through a crucial phase in terms of comprehensive digitalisation. The concept is all the more significant for it could help to reduce the digital divide, although it may not have to do much in the propagation of genuine broadband education”, said Doherty.

Meanwhile, Digital Unite’s information manager, Gil Adams opined that many elders in the UK who were not acquainted with the broadband stuff had also heard that one could get special deals on travel and insurance on the internet, besides it being considerably convenient for booking stuff online alongwith a 20 percent off once the process was known, and they could also get cheaper fuel that was a great issue for the elderly.

Pointing to broadband, he said that once the people got those, they tend to love it more often than not, age not being a barrier. He also claimed that Digital Unite have proved that a number of times.