Global Broadband Tops 123M

Broadband adoption in the US is occurring at high speed, as research firm Point Topic finds a 55 percent year-over-year increase in the number of worldwide lines. DSL continues to account for the majority of the 123 million total subscriptions.

A deeper look at broadband in the UK by Ofcom reveals that roughly 5 million subscriptions provide high-speed access to more than one-third of Internet households. The firm estimates that almost 50,000 new broadband subscribers are added every week, up 10,000 over late 2003's additions.

A September 2004 report from the National Statistics Online shows steady increases in broadband subscriptions, growing from 17 percent of all connections in July 2003 to 31 percent after 12 months.

Internet users in the UK can choose from metered "pay-as-you-go" narrowband packages or an unmetered option that allows for unlimited access. Broadband hit a milestone in July 2004, as high-speed connections surpassed unmetered dial-up access in the UK. Just 29 percent of UK users connected via unlimited dial-up in July 2004 compared to 35 percent a year prior.

While the U.S. boasts nearly six times as many broadband users as the UK (29 million versus 5 million), they are very closely matched in terms of high-speed penetration among their respective bases of Internet users.

In the States, San Diego maintains its top-speed lead, with roughly 70 percent if its Internet users connecting via broadband. Nielsen//NetRatings attributes high-incomes and large professional workforces to the high penetration among U.S. coastal cities.

Top Broadband and Narrowband Markets, September 2004

Locale Broadband Narrowband
San Diego, CA 69.6% 30.4%
Phoenix, AZ 68.4% 31.6%
Detroit, MI 67.0% 33.0%
New York, NY 66.8% 33.2%
Sacramento, CA 64.9% 35.1%
Orlando, FL 64.7% 35.3%
Seattle, WA 63.0% 37.0%
San Francisco, CA 63.0% 37.0%
Los Angeles, CA 61.6% 38.4%
Boston, MA 61.4% 38.6%
Baltimore, MD 50.1% 49.9%
Miami, FL 49.6% 50.4%
Chicago, IL 48.4% 51.6%
Denver, CO 48.3% 51.7%
Minneapolis, MN 46.9% 53.1%
Milwaukee, WI 39.3% 60.7%
Salt Lake City, UT 35.3% 64.7%
Pittsburgh, PA 33.3% 66.7%
Charlotte, NC 31.6% 68.4%
Columbus, OH 26.9% 73.1%

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings

adapted from an article by Robyn Greenspan