Number of broadband users explodes, NetRatings reports

Broadband Internet access is slowly gaining and now accounts for a fifth of all Internet access, reports Nielsen/NetRatings, an Internet audience measurement service. Broadband-accessing the Internet through high-speed connections that allow users to view and download much greater Internet content than via a simple dial-up phone line connection-has long been viewed as the answer to making retail web sites more content rich.

Nielsen/NetRatings says the number of at-home broadband users reached 21 million in November, up 90% from 11.2 million last November.

By comparison, the active Internet universe grew 11% from November 2000 to 2001. Last November, only 12% of Internet users accessed the web via broadband. The active base of Internet users is now 105.5 million vs. 95.4 million a year ago.

Broadband users are a key market for e-retailers, Nielsen/NetRatings says. "Last year, broadband surfers spent 67% more dollars online each month than narrowband surfers,” says T.S. Kelly, director and principal analyst, NetRatings. "Broadband surfers tend to log on to the Internet more often, stay online longer and are more likely to shop online than narrowband surfers,"