Dial-up internet connections are now in the minority in the US, as 51% of connections are now made through broadband links. The progress has been fast – last month it was 49%, and this time last year only 38% of domestic users had broadband.
63 million home users now connect to the internet through broadband using cable modems, ADSL or other variants, contrasted with 61.3 million on dial-up.
The figures come from a new Neilsen//NetRatings charting the growth of broadband against the decline of dial-up internet access. Broadband access has risen 47% year on year against dial-up’s 13% decline.
Marc Ryan, senior director of analysis at Nielsen//NetRatings said “What this is really pointing to is the fact that consumers are taking advantage of broadband, that there are lots of incentives for them to sign up for broadband. The opportunity here for marketers is to present customers with a richer environment to interact with advertising and with brands. In order to truly experience the Internet at its best these days, a broadband connection is almost a must.”
New demand is slowing for the time being, though we thing that won’t be for long. The total number of American’ accessing the internet grew only 10% from 113 million in July 2003 to 124 million July 2004, out of a population of 281 million, though a fall in the cost of broadband services coupled with the subsequent increase in rich content may well spur a second growth phase for the internet.