Europe Passes US in Broadband Penetration - US Broadband Uptake Grows to 84.8% Among Active Internet Users - September 2007 Bandwidth Report - August 2007 Bandwidth Report

Website Optimization is announcing today that broadband penetration in the EU is now on par with the US and Japan, according to a bi-annual broadband survey from the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA). ECTA attributes the 16% growth in broadband lines over the last six months to increased competition from new telecom entrants employing local loop unbundling and cable. Meanwhile in the US, broadband penetration jumped 1.32 percentage points to 84.75% among active Internet users in August 2007.

EU15 Passes US in Broadband Penetration

Northern Europe leads all European countries in broadband penetration, according to ECTA's Broadband Scorecard for the first quarter of 2007. The Netherlands lead all European countries surveyed with 33% broadband penetration, followed by Denmark at 31.4% (Q406 data), Finland at 28.1%, Sweden at 27.4%, and the UK at 23.1% broadband penetration (see Figure 1). ECTA attributes the success of higher ranking countries to competition through local loop unbundling and cable. Countries with lower penetration rates often lacked significant unbundling competition.

"For the first time, average penetration in the EU15 countries is, at 19.9%, comparable with the average penetration of 19.6% in the US and 20.2% in Japan." - Source: ECTA

Competition Boosts European Broadband Penetration

Countries that employed competition through cable and local loop unbundling, a process where competitors rent the last mile from established telecoms, ranked higher than countries that did not (see Figure 2). The Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden all had penetration rates above 25% while Greece, Poland, Slovakia, and Cyprus remained below 10% with 0.4% or less local loop unbundling and little impact from cable.

Home Connectivity in the US

US broadband penetration grew to 84.75% among active Internet users in August 2007. Narrowband users connecting at 56Kbps or less now make up 15.25% of active Internet users, down 1.32 percentage points from 16.57% in July 2007 (see Figure 3). http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0709/

Broadband Growth Trends in the US

In August 2007, broadband penetration in US homes grew 1.32 percentage points to 84.65%, up from 83.43% in July. This increase of 1.32 points is above the average increase in broadband of 0.73 points per month over the last six months (see Figure 4). http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0709/

Work Connectivity

As of August 2007, 94.79% of US workers connected to the Internet with broadband, up 0.58 percentage points from the 94.21% share in July. At work 5.21% connect at 56Kbps or less (see Figure 5). http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0709/

Further Reading:

Nielsen//NetRatings
http://www.netratings.com/
Provided the US broadband penetration data for active Internet users for the Bandwidth Report.

European Communications Telecommunications Association (ECTA)
http://www.ectaportal.com/
Data adapted from ECTA's Broadband Scorecard of September 5, 2007.

For the full "September 2007 Bandwidth Report" visit http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0709/

###

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.