Reversing a previous trend, the US moved up from 25th to 24th in broadband penetration worldwide in the first quarter of 2007 (see Figure 1). At the high end of the broadband spectrum, South Korea retains its lead over Hong Kong, Monaco, and Iceland in household broadband penetration. At current growth rates however, Hong Kong should pass South Korea in the summer of 2007 to become the leading nation in broadband penetration. Meanwhile, broadband penetration among active Internet users grew to 83.43% in US homes in June, up 0.2 percentage points from 83.23% in June 2007.
The Bandwidth Report Category: Broadband
Google Dominates Top Video Sites – US Broadband Penetration Grows to 83.2% Among Active Internet Users – July 2007 Bandwidth Report
Google’s YouTube leads all video sites in unique users, stickiness, and growth over the past year. Combining YouTube with Google Video, Google dominates the top video sharing sites, with over 4.4 times the users as its nearest competitor. Despite accounting for a small fraction of the files on the Internet, web videos from YouTube alone account for more than 10% of the traffic. That is why video optimization is important for web site performance and saving bandwidth. Broadband penetration among active Internet users grew to 83.23% in US homes in June, up 1.05 percentage points from 82.18% in May 2007.
Over Half of US Households Subscribe to Broadband – US Broadband Penetration Grows to 82.2% Among Active Internet Users – June 2007 Bandwidth Report
53% of all US households now subscribe to a broadband high-speed Internet service at home, according to Leichtman Research Group. Broadband services now account for about 72% of all home Internet subscriptions – compared to 60% last year. Broadband adoption is strongly tied to household income. Just 45% of households with annual incomes below $30,000 subscribe to an Internet service at home – compared to 92% of households with annual incomes above $75,000. Broadband penetration among active Internet users grew to 82.18% in US homes in May, up over 10 percentage points from 71.76% last year.
OECD Broadband Report Questioned – US Broadband Penetration Grows to 81.8% Among Active Internet Users – May 2007 Bandwidth Report
In our April bandwidth report we reported that the US dropped to 15th out of 30 countries surveyed by the OECD. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) says that the broadband penetration data reported by the OECD is not an adequate measure of a nation’s relative position in broadband technology. The ITIF suggests that adding speed and price to the equation would show a more complete picture of a nation’s broadband rankings. Calculated in this way the US ranks 12th in global broadband penetration, two spots behind Canada at 10th overall (see Table 1). Turkey paid the highest price for high-speed broadband at $115.76 per month while Japan paid the least for high-speed broadband service at $0.27 per month.
US Broadband Penetration Breaks 80% Among Active Internet Users – Canadians Log Most Time Online – March 2007 Bandwidth Report
US broadband penetration broke 80% among active Internet users for the first time in February. Although broadband uptake has slowed over the past two quarters, US broadband growth shows no signs of a saturated plateau. North of the border, Canadians spend more time online than any other country, according to comScore Networks. Canadians view over one-third more web pages than the average US user, holding a 14 point lead in broadband penetration over the US.
US Falls to 25th in Broadband Penetration Worldwide – US Broadband Growth Below OECD Average – April 2007 Bandwidth Report
The US fell from 23rd to 25th place in worldwide broadband penetration in the last half of 2006, according to a recent survey by Point Topic. OECD data confirms the slowdown, with the US falling to 15th in broadband penetration among OECD countries surveyed. US broadband penetration grew 0.65 percentage points to 80.81% among active Internet users in March.
iTunes Popularity to Surpass RealPlayer in 2007 – European Broadband Growth Slows – US Broadband Penetration Grows to 79.1% Among Active Internet Users – February 2007 Bandwidth Report
Users of iTunes grew by 47.5% over the past year, while the other streaming media players had single-digit growth. At current growth rates iTunes users will exceed RealPlayer users by the second quarter of 2007 (see Figure 1). European broadband growth has decreased in recent months. US broadband growth slowed a bit in January, growing by 0.62% percentage points to 79.1% among active Internet users.
Broadband Black Holes Persist – UK Broadband Cheaper than Dial-up – US Broadband Penetration Climbs to 78.5% Among Active Internet Users – January 2007 Bandwidth Report
Despite President Bush’s promise of universal access to broadband by 2007 there are still areas within the US that have little or no coverage, according to DSLReports.com. In the UK, broadband has become cheaper than dial-up access according to Silicon.com. Meanwhile in the US broadband grew to 78.5% in December among active Internet users.
Apple iTunes Usage Grows 69% Over Past Year – US Broadband Penetration Climbs to 77.7% Among Active Internet Users – December 2006 Bandwidth Report
Users of Apple’s iTunes player grew by nearly 69% over the past year (see Figure 1), but by only 26% since January. Among the big four streaming media players, only RealPlayer showed significant growth compared to Apple since the beginning of 2006. Broadband growth continued its steady climb in November, growing by 1.1% percentage points to 77.7% among active Internet users.
UK Passes Japan in Broadband Penetration – US Broadband Penetration Slows to 76.6% Among Active Internet Users – November 2006 Bandwidth Report
The UK passed Japan and the US in broadband penetration in the first quarter of 2006 (see Figure 1). Among G7 countries, only Canada had a higher broadband penetration rate, according to a recent broadband survey by OECD. The UK’s faster growth rate, over twice that of Japan, propelled it past Japan around March of 2006 (see Figure 2). Meanwhile in the US, broadband growth slowed in October, growing only 0.27% percentage points to 76.6% among active Internet users over the past month.