Commentary
High Speed Internet in 60% of Online Households
- by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, July 10, 2006
According to new consumer research from Leichtman Research Group (LRG), 69% of all US households now subscribe to an online service at home, and high-speed Internet services now account for about 60% of all online subscribers.
Overall, cable remains the most common source for residential broadband driven by its strength among higher income households. But DSL now has a greater market share than cable among middle income households. Based on a telephone survey of 1,600 randomly selected U.S. households:
- Thirty-seven percent of all households with annual household incomes over $75,000 subscribe to cable broadband and 27% subscribe to DSL
- Among all households earning $30,000-$75,000 per year, 21% subscribe to DSL and 18% to cable
Other key findings include:
- The mean annual household income of cable broadband subscribers is 12% higher than their DSL counterparts
- The mean income of broadband subscribers is 35% greater than narrowband/dial-up subscribers
- 40% of current narrowband/dial-up subscribers are interested in getting broadband
- 80% of all US households have at least one computer, but just 58% of those with annual household incomes under $30,000 have a computer at home
LRG forecasts that by the end of the year 2010, there will be over 105 million residential online subscribers in the US, with over 80% subscribing to broadband.
Top Broadband Internet Providers in the U.S. | ||
Broadband Internet Provider | Subscribers at end of 1Q 2006 | Net Adds in 1Q 2006 |
Cable | ||
Comcast | 8,957,000 | 437,000 |
Time Warner | 5,168,000 | 346,000 |
Charter | 2,322,400 | 126,000 |
Adelphia | 1,808,004 | 100,554 |
Cablevision | 1,806,623 | 112,289 |
Insight | 514,800 | 44,400 |
Mediacom | 504,000 | 26,000 |
Cable One | 253,059 | 18,959 |
RCN | 249,000 | 5,000 |
Major Privately Held Companies | 4,190,000 | 191,700 |
Total Top Cable | 25,772,886 | 1,407,902 |
DSL | ||
AT&T | 7,432,000 | 511,000 |
Verizon | 5,685,000 | 541,000 |
Bell South | 3,145,000 | 263,000 |
Qwest | 1,678,000 | 180,000 |
Embarq | 777,000 | 84,000 |
Covad | 556,950 | (10,225) |
ALLTEL | 441,475 | 43,779 |
CenturyTel | 285,791 | 37,085 |
Cincinnati Bell | 171,000 | 8,500 |
Total Top DSL | 20,172,216 | 1,658,139 |
Total Broadband | 45,945,102 | 3,066,041 |
Sources: The Companies and Leichtman Research Group, Inc. Some figures are adjusted from prior quarters to account for system sales and acquisitions | ||
Jack Loechner is the Editor of The Center for Media Research's daily Research Brief. You can reach him at jack@mediapost.com.