U.S. Tops Broadband Usage, For Now

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The U.S. boasts the highest number of broadband subscribers in the world. According to the Computer Industry Almanac's "Internet Users by Country" report, China could surpass the U.S. broadband population in the next few years.

Subscribers to broadband services worldwide are projected to exceed 215 million by the end of 2005, and 500 million by 2010. Internet users including broadband and dial-up users will number 1.08 billion by the end of 2005, and 1.8 billion in 2010.

By number of subscribers, the U.S. ranks first in broadband population with 46.9 million subscribers. By year's end, the number is expected to total 47 million subscribers. A reported slowdown in broadband adoption in the U.S. leaves room for China to surpass the country in subscribers in the next few years, with a projected 500 million subscribers by 2010.

Per capita, the U.S. holds a 15th-place rank in broadband subscribers. South Korea leads in subscribers per capita, followed by the Netherlands; Hong Kong, and Scandinavian countries. Japan ranks in eighth place per capita.

The "Internet Users by Country" report compiles data four ways. It takes projections from a survey. It also estimates based on the number of Internet host computers and based on the portion of computers-in-use with Internet access. It takes projections from the number of Internet access accounts and the average number of Internet users per account. Data are available from ISP associations in a handful of the countries tracked.