Broadband penetration in US homes slowed somewhat in March. As of March of 2003 broadband penetration was at 33.8%, up from 33.5% in February. In contrast, 64% of Canadian home users enjoy a broadband connection.
The following charts, derived from Nielsen//NetRatings and Ipsos-Reid data, show trends in connection speeds to the Internet.
Home Connectivity in the US
As of March 2003, most users in the US connect to the Internet using dial-up modems of 56Kbps or less. 53.26% use 56Kbps modems, 9.79% use 28/33.3Kbps, and 3.17% use 14.4Kbps modems. All told 66.2% of home users in the US connect to the Internet at 56Kbps or less (see Figure 1).
Web Connection Speed Trends – Home Users (US)
Figure 1: Web Connection Speed Trends – Home Users (US)
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings
Broadband Growth in the US
Broadband penetration in US homes slowed somewhat in March. As of March 2003 broadband penetration was at 33.8%, up from 33.5% in February. In contrast, broadband has increased by over 1.2% per month from October 2002 to February 2003. Extrapolating the data provided by Nielsen//NetRatings, broadband share in the US should exceed 50% by June of 2004 (see Figure 2).
Broadband Connection Speed Trend – Home Users (US)
Figure 2: Broadband Connection Speed Trend – Home Users (US)
Extrapolated from Nielsen//NetRatings data
Work Connectivity
Most workers in the US enjoy high-speed connections to the Internet. Most use a high-speed line such as a T1 connection, and share bandwidth between computers connected to a network. The speed of each connection decreases as more employees hook up to the LAN. As of March of 2003, of those connected to the Internet, 68.9% of US users at work enjoy a high-speed connection, up from 67.9% in February. 31.1% connect from work at 56Kbps or less (see Figure 3).
Web Connection Speed Trends – Work Users (US)
Figure 3: Web Connection Speed Trends – Work Users (US)
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings
Broadband Trends in the US and Canada
In contrast, most of our wired neighbors to the north have broadband connections. As of March of 2003, broadband use in Canadian wired households was 64%, over 30% higher than the US at 33.8%. Figure 4 compares the growth of broadband for US and Canadian home users.
Broadband Trends – Home Users (US vs. Canada)
Figure 4: Broadband Trends – Home (US vs. Canada)
Sources: Nielsen//NetRatings and Ipsos-Reid
Broadband Households as % of Internet Households
| By Country | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | 8.1% | 14.5% | 22.3% | 33.8% |
| Canada | 24% | 32% | 49% | 64% |
Further Reading
- Canadians Caught Speeding
- Canadians leave the US far behind
- Canada Outpacing U.S. in broadband penetration
- What’s Holding Broadband Back?
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