Leaders in the Global Broadband Usage Statistics

The U.S. is only 12th in broadband penetration according to a study recently released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The two countries exhibiting the highest rates of broadband usage per number of citizens are: Iceland in the top position with 26.7 broadband users per 100 citizens, and Korea trailing close behind with 25.4 users.

Broadband Internet Usage in Iceland and Korea

Iceland supplanted previous leader Korea in this latest survey, although this switch may be temporary as Korea is currently entering the next stage in its broadband development. Korean users are switching over to fiber-optic broadband platforms for increased bandwidth, resulting in a temporary drop in broadband Internet subscribers. Among all the countries surveyed, in fact, there was a 3.3 % loss of DSL subscriptions, and 1.7% loss of cable broadband Internet subscriptions, respectively. Iceland, Finland, Norway and Australia each increased their number of subscribers by 6%.

Broadband Internet Usage in the U.S.

The U.S. reported the largest number of broadband subscribers, coming in at 49 million.  However, compared to the amount of people living in the United States, that number doesn’t put them in the top 10 countries who have adopted broadband per capita.

The fact that the U.S. is so large with lots of rural areas is the reason that some say our adoption rates are lower.  But, seeing as countries like Sweden and Norway (both with vast expanses of land and rural areas) have very high adoption rates, it is proof that widespread broadband is possible - especially with advances in satellite technology.

What These Facts Mean

Nothing definitive can be taken from these findings except that although the U.S. has the largest number of broadband subscribers, per capita, they are far behind the leading countries as far as broadband use goes.

Increased education about and availability of broadband Internet services will help increase the United States’ numbers as well as other countries that were lower on the list of adoption rates.