Consumers embrace speedier web access, but ISPs disgaree on what fast means
Consumer acceptance of broadband is growing, but not all broadband access is created equal, says a new report from comScore Networks Inc. The number of home users accessing the Internet through broadband has increased 9% in six months, to 28% of home users, while the number of users accessing through dial-up declined by 2%.
Consumer acceptance of broadband is important to retailers who are trying to make the web shopping experience more engaging by employing rich media and video product demonstrations. "As consumers seek to fully utilize the dynamic and interactive potential of the Internet, they will increasingly demand faster connection speeds and a higher quality of service," says David Shipps, vice president of telecommunications solutions at comScore Networks.
But comScore also reports that there is a broad definition of what constitutes broadband, with a threefold variance in access speed between the slowest provider measured by comScore and the fastest. The average DSL speed is 467 kilobytes per second, with ATT WorldNet providing the fastest access at 762 kbps (63% faster than average) and Qwest the slowest at 240 kbps (48% slower than average). In between were SBC at 584 kbps (25% above average) and Earthlink, 369 kbps (21% slower than average).
Faster than DSL is cable access, but again comScore found great variance in access speed. The average cable modem provides access at 708 kbps--50% faster than the average DSL connection. The fastest of the cable providers that comScore measured is Cablevision Systems at 800 kbps (13% above average); the slowest is Adelphia Cable at 575 kbps, (18% below average). In between are Comcast Cable at 794 kbps (12% above average) and Cox Cable, at 688 kbps (3% below average).
"Packaged services and discount incentives offered by broadband providers have had a major impact on establishing a strong base of initial customers," Shipps says. "In most geographic areas, competition between multiple providers has created intense pricing pressure, so performance metrics such as connection speed are likely to become an increasingly important factor, both for consumers selecting a broadband provider and as a part of providers` sales and marketing efforts."
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