July 2006 Bandwidth Report With Internet Broadband Statistics by Website Optimization

Website Optimization is announcing today that despite leading the world in broadband subscribers, the US dropped from 17th to 20th place in broadband penetration over the past year (see Figures 1 & 2). Due to its slower growth rate the US fell behind Sweden, the UK, and even tiny Luxembourg in broadband uptake from March 2005 to March 2006, according to Point Topic. Meanwhile, US broadband penetration among active Internet users grew 1.34 percentage points to 73.1% in June 2006.

Top 10 Broadband Counries by Subscribers 2005-2006

USA
Q105: 38,004
Q106: 43,311
Growth: 27%

China
Q105: 28,307
Q106: 41,196
Growth: 46%

Japan
Q105: 19,838
Q106: 23,701
Growth: 19%

South Korea
Q105: 12,087
Q106: 12,459
Growth: 3%

Germany
Q105: 7,536
Q106: 11,449
Growth: 52%

UK
Q105: 7,116
Q106: 10,833
Growth: 52%

France
Q105: 7,669
Q106: 10,821
Growth: 41%

Italy
Q105: 5,208
Q106: 7,394
Growth: 42%

Canada
Q105: 5,889
Q106: 7,105
Growth: 21%

Spain
Q105: 3,736
Q106: 5,322
Growth: 42%

Worldwide Broadband Penetration Trends

Worldwide, from March 2005 to March 2006, the US dropped from 17th to 20th place in broadband penetration among all countries surveyed. While the percentage of broadband households in the US grew by 27.1% over the past year (from 34.97% to 44.45%) the US fell behind Sweden, the UK, and Luxembourg due to their higher broadband growth rates (see Figure 2). UK broadband grew 52.3% from 29.6% to 45.1% penetration, leapfrogging the US from 21st to 18th, while tiny Luxembourg surged nearly 85% over the past year to 19th place. South Korea still leads all countries with 83% broadband penetration, followed by Hong Kong with 80.98%, Iceland at 74%, Israel at 69.08%, and Taiwan at 64.65% penetration.

When measured by broadband takeup per 100 inhabitants, the numbers tell a different story. South Korea at 26% penetration has lost its lead to three Western European countries: Denmark with 26.5%, Iceland at 26.4%, and the Netherlands at 26.35%. South Korea grew by a negligible amount of 3.1% while Denmark led the top five countries growing by 31.5% over the past year. The US is 19th overall in broadband lines per 100 inhabitants at 16.61% behind Luxembourg, and just ahead of Macau (see Figure 3).

For the full “July 2006 Bandwidth Report” visit http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0607/

Home Connectivity in the US

US broadband penetration among active Internet users grew to 73.1% in June 2006. Narrowband users connecting at 56Kbps or less now comprise 26.9% of active Internet users, down 1.34 percentage points from 28.24% in May (see Figure 4).

For the full “July 2006 Bandwidth Report” visit http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0607/

Broadband Growth Trends in the US

In June 2006, broadband penetration in US homes jumped 1.34 percentage points to 73.1% up from 71.76% in May. This increase of 1.34 points is above the average increase in broadband of 1.14 points per month over the last six months (see Figure 5). At current growth rates US broadband should break 80% among active Internet users by December 2006. Note that a Nielsen analyst estimates that broadband penetration will plateau at 85% (Tsuruoka 2006).

For the full “July 2006 Bandwidth Report” visit http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0607/

Work Connectivity

As of June 2006, 89.84% of US workers use broadband, up 0.32 percentage points from the 89.52% share in May. At work 10.16% connect at 56Kbps or less (see Figure 6).

For the full “July 2006 Bandwidth Report” visit http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0607/

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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

About Website Optimization

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.

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