The Bandwidth Report is a monthly roundup of broadband penetration figures from the US and elsewhere. Each month this 'broadband report' tracks the speed of our connections, both at work and at home. Additionally, we'll predict the growth of broadband based on current trends. Thanks to Nielsen//NetRatings, our primary source of broadband data. Our other sources are listed below.
Overall broadband penetration in US homes grew to 63% in March 2009, despite an increase in average monthly rates. This growth was fueled largely by low-usage individuals including seniors and low-income Americans.
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Japan is poised to break an important milestone this summer, with 50% of broadband users on high-speed fiber-optic lines. And the Japanese (along with Korea, the UK, and France) enjoy some of the lowest cost bandwidth available worldwide.
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Over the last quarter of 2008 the UK and Canada dropped behind the tiny Bailiwick of Guernsey to 14th and 15th place respectively in the global broadband penetration race. Meanwhile in the US, broadband penetration dropped to 93.1% among active Internet users.
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The popularity of Apple's iTunes and QuickTime players has grown from 32% to 36.4% over the past year, while Microsoft's Windows Media Player has remained unchanged at 50.7% share. Broadband lines grew by 20% in Europe over the past year, while growth slowed in the US to 59% broadband penetration.
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Broadband penetration in the UK has gone so high that the Office for National Statistics has discontinued its quarterly reporting of broadband growth. Nearly 60% of broadband users in the UK enjoy speeds of 2Mbps or higher.
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Broadband subscribers in the UK experience an average download speed of 3.6Mbps, only a fraction (45%) of the advertised speed of up to 8Mbps. Google has just the answer to disgruntled broadband subscribers, launching a new M-Lab service to measure user connections.
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The new Obama administration has pledged to deploy next-generation broadband to every community in America, but has offered few specifics. The Free Press has published a specific plan to accomplish broadband for all. China has passed the US in total broadband subscribers.
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The FCC has released the 'white spaces' of unused television spectrum to the public. This ruling opens the way for universal, low-cost broadband access for every American household.
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