European Broadband Penetration Gap Widening - US Broadband Penetration Nears 75% Among Active Internet Users - September 2006 Bandwidth Report

Website Optimization is announcing today that Sixty-four million people now have broadband access across the 25 countries of the European Union - but the gap between the best and worst performers is widening (see Figure 1). Denmark, the Netherlands, and Finland lead the European Union in broadband penetration while Greece, Slovakia, and Poland trail according to a recent broadband survey by ECTA. Back in the US, broadband penetration among active Internet users neared 75% in August 2006.

EU Broadband Gap Widening

Denmark tops the EU with broadband penetration of 29.3% while last place Greece trails far behind at just 2% (see Figure 2). Broadband uptake in high scoring countries is growing faster than the low scoring countries, widening the gap between wired and unwired countries (see Figure 3). ECTA attributes the widening gap to regulatory action which creates more choice and competition.

Denmark tops the list at 29.3%, followed by the Netherlands at 26.8%, Finland at 24%, Sweden at 22.9%, Belgium at 19.1%, and the UK at 18.9% (see Figure 2). At its current growth rate, the UK is poised to pass Belgium in broadband penetration to become fifth among European countries surveyed (see Figure 1). Greece at 2% broadband penetration, Slovakia at 2.9%, and Poland at 3.3% trail all countries in the EU. Overall, the average broadband penetration rate of the EU is 14.1%, up 5.5 million lines over the 12.9% penetration rate of the previous quarter.

Growth in European Broadband Penetration by Country

Estonia tops the list in broadband penetration growth at 2.56 percentage points over the previous quarter, followed by the UK at 2.39, Sweden at 1.86, Finland at 1.6, the Netherlands at 1.52, and France at 1.45 (see Figure 3). France in particular was cited by ECTA for its regulatory improvement: "broadband in France was stagnating until regulatory action paved the way for competition - triple-play packages are available now for less than €30 per month."

Greece, Poland, and Slovakia Lead all Countries in Broadband Line Growth Rates
Despite its last place showing, Greece leads all countries in broadband line growth at 40.3% over the past quarter (see Figure 4). Poland (29.1%), Slovakia (21%), Estonia (19.3%), Ireland (19.0%), and the UK (14.5%) follow Greece in broadband line growth. Countries with low penetration rates can quickly boost their broadband line growth, while countries with widespread broadband uptake typically experience lower growth rates as more of the population has a high-speed connection.

Home Connectivity in the US

US broadband penetration among active Internet users grew to 74.87% in August 2006. Narrowband users connecting at 56Kbps or less now comprise 25.13% of active Internet users, down 1.01 percentage points from 26.14% in July 2006 (see Figure 5).

Broadband Growth Trends in the US

In August 2006, broadband penetration in US homes grew 1.01 percentage points to 74.87% up from 73.86% in July. This increase of 1.01 points is below the average increase in broadband of 1.2 points per month over the last six months (see Figure 6). At current growth rates US broadband penetration should break 80% among active Internet users by December 2006.

Work Connectivity

As of August 2006, 91.21% of US workers were on broadband, up 0.89 percentage points from the 90.32% share in July. At work 8.79% connect at 56Kbps or less (see Figure 7).

For the full “September 2006 Bandwidth Report” visit http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0609/

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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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