The Bandwidth Report is a monthly roundup of connectivity trends in the US and elsewhere.  Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland lead European countries in overall broadband penetration, according to a survey by HeavyReading.com in March 2005.
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Home Connectivity in the US:
Most active Internet users connect from home with broadband connections. Among narrowband users, 35.42% use 56Kbps modems, 4.89% use 28/33.3Kbps, and 2.64% use 14.4Kbps modems. In total, 42.96% of home users in the US connect to the Internet at 56Kbps or less (see Figure 1 at http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0504/ )

Broadband Growth in the US:
Broadband penetration in the US grew by 0.75 points to 57.04% in March, up from 56.29% in February. This increase is below the average increase in broadband of 1.04 points per month over the previous twelve months. At the current growth rate, broadband share in the US should exceed 70% by January of 2006 (see Figure 2). As we reported last issue, broadband penetration growth appears to be tapering off in the US, in a pattern similar to Canada and Korea. 

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 March of 2005, of those connected to the Internet, 81.53% of US users at work enjoy a high-speed connection, virtually unchanged from the 81.56% share in February. At work, 18.47% connect at 56Kbps or less (see Figure 3). 

Belgium Leads European Countries in Broadband Penetration
Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland lead European countries in overall broadband penetration, according to a survey by HeavyReading.com in March 2005. Belgium boasts 37.4% broadband penetration among all households, with the Netherlands close behind at 37.2% penetration, and Switzerland at 36% penetration. Greece, Ireland, and Germany trail all European countries in broadband penetration. The average broadband penetration among all households in Europe is 20.6%. Note that if these figures follow the same pattern as in the U.S., broadband penetration among active users in Europe would approach 65 to 70% in the top three countries. For comparison, the U.S. is at about 30% overall penetration now, according to Leichtman Research, while broadband penetration among active internet users is 57%, so the ratio is about 2:1 for active vs. households.

Further Reading:

HeavyReading.com
http://www.heavyreading.com/
Provided the European broadband penetration data, see also LightReading.com.

Nielsen//NetRatings
http://www.netratings.com/
Provides the US broadband data (percentage of active Internet users) for the Bandwidth Report.

Rich Media Ads Proliferating
http://www.clickz.com/stats/sectors/advertising/article.php/3493936 
In a related story, by 2009 rich media ad units will account for over half of all online display ads by spending, according to Jupiter Research.

*Note that Nielsen//NetRatings reports the percentage of active Internet users that use broadband from home, not broadband households. NetRatings uses a panel of 40,000 to 50,000 people with software meters installed on their computers. These meters detect connection speeds. Each month they do an enumeration study to call a number of people to calibrate the panel by adjusting weightings to match the population at large.

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 March 2005 Bandwidth Report is available at: http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0503/

About Web Site 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.  

For a review copy of "Speed Up Your Site - Web Site Optimization" (New Riders, ISBN 0-7357-1324-3) or an interview with the author, contact: Matt Hockin, 503.246.1375, matt(at)interactivemarketinginc.com - http://www.interactivemarketinginc.com 
 

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