October 2005 Bandwidth Report by Web Site Optimization - UK Passes US in Broadband Penetration - US Falls to 13th Overall yet leads all countries in total subscribers

The UK passed the US in broadband penetration on a per-capita basis in August 2005. The US continued its fall to 13th place among all OECD countries, according to our extrapolation of OECD survey data and Point Topic. However, the US leads all countries in total broadband subscribers, with twice that of Japan. Finland, the Netherlands, and Norway lead the pack in broadband penetration growth. US Broadband penetration climbed to 62.46% in September 2005, up 1.14 percentage points from 61.32% in August. The charts below, derived from Nielsen//NetRatings and OECD data, show trends in connection speeds to the Internet for users in the United States and countries worldwide.* (For the full “October 2005 Bandwidth Report” visit Web Site Optimization http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0510/

UK leapfrogs US in Broadband Penetration on a per-capita basis

The US is now in 13th place overall in broadband penetration after being passed by the UK in Q3 2005 (see Figure 1, an extrapolation of OECD data). The Times of London also reports that the UK has passed the US in broadband penetration per 100 inhabitants in August 2005. The UK's faster growth is likely due its adoption of predominantly DSL-based broadband and local loop unbundling versus the cable-dominated broadband mix of the US. The Times reports that other factors include more competition, lower prices and greater investment by telecoms and Internet companies in the technology. Note that for wired households, the US still holds a lead over the UK in broadband penetration of 62.5% vs. 55.7%, according to statistics from National Statistics UK and Nielsen//NetRatings. (For the full “October 2005 Bandwidth Report” visit Web Site Optimization http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0510/

US Falls to 12th in Broadband Penetration among OECD Countries in June 2005

The United States fell to 12th place in broadband penetration among countries surveyed by the OECD in October. As of June 2005, the US was 12th overall in broadband penetration per 100 inhabitants, down from 11th place in June 2004.

Finland Leads all OECD Countries in Broadband Growth

Finland has the highest broadband penetration growth of all countries surveyed by the OECD. Finland overtook the Netherlands in broadband penetration growth in June 2005 over the last OECD survey in December 2004. From Q2 2004 to Q2 2005, Finland added 7.76 broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants, while the Netherlands added 6.97, Norway 6.89, Iceland 6.41, and the UK added 6.11 subscribers. The US added 3.48 broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants, less than half that of Finland. The UK's recent strong growth rate pushed it past the US for broadband penetration uptake per 100 inhabitants.

US Leads all Countries in Broadband Subscriptions

The US leads all countries in the total number of broadband subscriptions, with 31% of all OECD subscriptions, double that of its closest rival Japan with 15% (see Figure 5). Korea follows with 9%, German at 6%, and the UK has 6% of all OECD broadband subscriptions.

Home Connectivity in the US

US broadband penetration grew to 62.46% in September among active Internet users. Narrowband users (56Kbps or less) now comprise 37.54% of active Internet users, down 1.14 percentage points from 38.68% in August 2005.

Broadband Growth Trends in the US

In September 2005, broadband penetration in US homes rose 1.14 percentage points to 62.46% up from 61.32% in August. This increase of 1.14 percentage points is near the average increase in broadband of 1.19 points per month over the last five months. At the current growth rate of over 1.1 percentage points per month, broadband penetration among active Internet users US homes should break 70% by mid-January of 2006.

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 an Ethernet network. The speed of each connection decreases as more employees hook up to the LAN. As of September of 2005, of those connected to the Internet, 85.09% of US users at work enjoy a high-speed connection, down 0.37 percentage points from the 85.46% share in August. At work, 14.91% connect at 56Kbps or less.

About The Bandwidth Report

The Bandwidth Report is a monthly roundup of connectivity trends in the US and elsewhere. Each month's bandwidth report offers the latest statistics in Internet connectivity and broadband trends, including:

* Home Connectivity in the US
* Broadband Growth in the US
* Work Connectivity
* Broadband Trends in the US, Canada, and other countries

The October 2005 Bandwidth Report is available at:
http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0510/

About Web Site Optimization
http://www.websiteoptimization.com

Don't Make Me Wait! The new book titled "Speed Up Your Site – Web Site Optimization" by Andy King, and the companion web site are about designing "speedy" web sites with techniques that…

* Cut file size and download times in half
* Speed up site load time to satisfy customers
* Engage users with fast response times and flow stimulus
* Increase usability, boost profits, and slash bandwidth costs
* Improve search engine rankings and web page conversions

Andy King is also the founder of WebReference.com and JavaScript.com, both award-winning developer sites from internet.com. Created in 1995 and subsequently acquired by Mecklermedia (now Jupitermedia) in 1997, WebReference has grown into one of the most popular developer sites on the Internet. While he was Managing Editor of WebReference.com and JavaScript.com, Andy became the "Usability Czar" at internet.com, where he optimized the speed and usability of their sites. In addition to his consulting work, he continues to
write the monthly Bandwidth Report and the “Speed Tweak of the Week” for www.WebSiteOptimization.com.

Contact Matt Hockin at 503.246.1375 for an interview with the author or a review copy of Speed Up Your Site - Web Site Optimization http://www.interactivemarketinginc.com matt(at)interactivemarketinginc.com