U.S. Remains Largest Broadband Market Worldwide, Halts Slide in OECD Rankings
May 21, 2009 – A December 2008 study released Wednesday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development shows the United States, already the largest consumer of broadband in the world, appears to be halting its recent slide in international broadband penetration rankings.
May 21, 2009 – A December 2008 study released Wednesday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development shows the United States, already the largest consumer of broadband in the world, appears to be halting its recent slide in international broadband penetration rankings.
The U.S. ranked seventh in per-capita subscriber growth for 2008, with a rate of three subscribers added per 100 persons, according to a press release accompanying the newly-released data. By comparison, the average OECD area increased that number by 2.5 per 100.
While the U.S. still leads in terms of sheer numbers, penetration rates lag far below world leaders including Norway, Korea, and Finland. Those countries each boast 30 percent of inhabitants that subscribe to broadband, though unlike the U.S., the past six months brought no change.
Worldwide growth in broadband service has not been hurt by the global recession, the study reported. Broadband subscriptions rose 13 percent around the globe during 2008, with the last half of the year showing slightly higher growth, at 6.23 percent versus 6.16 percent for the first six months of 2008.
The full OECD study can be found at http://www.oecd.org/sti/ict/broadband.
