July 24, 2008

Report: 17 Countries to Surpass 60 Percent Broadband Penetration by 2012

According to the Gartner report "Dataquest Insight: Consumer Broadband, Global Penetration Rates and Growth Prospects," worldwide consumer broadband connections will grow from 323 million connections in 2007 to 499 million in 2012. Worldwide consumer broadband connections penetrated 18 percent of households in 2007, and by 2012, households with a broadband connection will reach 25 percent. Five countries exceeded 60 percent broadband penetration into the home in 2007, and this is expected to grow to 17 countries by 2012. The five countries with broadband penetration into the home above 60 percent are Canada (65 percent), Netherlands (74 percent), Switzerland (69 percent), South Korea (93 percent) and Hong Kong (76 percent). U.S. broadband penetration in 2007 was 54 percent.