High-speed residential Internet subscribers in Europe increased 136% from April 2002 to April 2003, according to a report from Nielsen//NetRatings. The UK experienced the largest increase of any European country during this period: 235%. Currently, 28% of European Internet users are connected at high speed, versus just 14% one year ago. This compares to 35% in the United States, and much higher rates in certain Asian markets, including 82% in Hong Kong.
The study also found that broadband users are spending significantly more time online, using the web more often, and visiting more websites than dial-up users. In Germany, for instance, the average narrowband user spends 7.5 hours on the web every month, while the average broadband user is online for 21 hours. Nielsen//NetRatings also said that the Web sites with the strongest growth due to broadband growth are file-sharing sites, music sites, film sites and adult sites.
If current growth rates continue, Nielsen//NetRatings projects that by March 2004 over 50 million
Europeans will be connected at high speed, and the US will have 53 million broadband surfers.
http://www.nielsen-netratings.com
