Internet Changes Everything

Study: Big Growth in European Broadband

Yahoo! News - Study: Big Growth in European Broadband

Fri Dec 3, 4:44 PM
More than half of Europe's Internet users now enjoy a broadband Web connection at home, according to a market research report from Internet audience tracking firm Nielsen/NetRatings.

The growth of broadband has helped to expand the number of European Internet users past the 100 million mark, Nielsen/NetRatings said.

UK and Italy Ahead

As of October 2004, 54.5 million Europeans accessed the Internet via a broadband link, up 60 percent from 34.1 million a year earlier, according to the research firm.

The greatest growth was seen in Italy, at 120 percent, and in the UK, where the number of broadband users almost doubled. Consumers have been drawn to broadband because of lower prices and more offerings for broadband services, which offer fast and always-connected Internet access.

In Europe, as in North America, consumers have the choice of cable TV broadband services and telephone-based digital subscriber line (DSL) subscriptions.

Overall Internet Growth

Along with a rise in consumers changing their slow, dial-up accounts for broadband subscriptions, there has been a growth in the overall number of Internet users in Europe.

The total number of European Internet users rose by 12 percent to 100 million in the 12 months to October 2004, led by consumers in France, Italy, the UK and Germany, Nielsen/NetRatings said.

"Twelve months ago, high-speed Internet users made up just over one third of the audience in Europe," Gabrielle Prior, European Internet analyst at Nielsen/NetRatings, says in a statement.

"Now they are more than 50 percent -- and we expect this number to keep growing. As the number of high-speed surfers grows, Web sites will need to adapt, update and enhance their content to retain their visitors and encourage new ones."

Internet use in the United States has followed a similar trend. "In October 2004, 53 percent of the American online population connected via broadband compared to 41 percent in October 2003," according to Marc Ryan, senior director and analyst, Nielsen/NetRatings.

Lower Estimate

The Yankee Group has a more cautious stance on broadband Internet usage in Europe than Nielsen/NetRatings, while agreeing that there has been a sharp rise in broadband subscriptions.

"We forecast 31.1 million paid broadband subscribers at the end of 2004 for Europe, a 62 percent increase from 2003," Patrick Mahoney, a Yankee Group analyst, told Newsfactor.

"The reason this differs so much from Nielsen is because our numbers reflect paid residential subscriptions, not users -- one subscription can have many users."

December 4, 2004 at 01:45 AM in Internet evolution, Web lifestyle | Permalink | TrackBack (3) | Top of page | Blog Home