Canadians Caught Speeding

More than half of the nation's Internet users are cruising along at broadband speed.

Canadians have been caught speeding, as findings from comScore Media Metrix Canada indicate that more than half of the nation’s Internet users are cruising along at broadband speed. Analysis reveals that as of January 2003, broadband users represented fully 53.6 percent of the Canadian online population, compared to 33.8 percent of the U.S. online population.

Key Usage Metrics, January 2003
Canada –
Broadband
U.S. –
Broadband
Total Broadband Unique Visitors 9,068,000 48,854,000
Share of Total Online Population 53.6% 33.8%
Average Minutes Per Usage Day 101.5 95.7
Share of Total Pages Viewed Online 69.1% 56.2%
Share of Total Minutes Spent Online 64.3% 53.6%
Source: comScore Media Metrix

“With more than half of our online population using broadband, it’s clear that Canadians are hooked on speed,” noted Brent Lowe-Bernie, president of comScore Media Metrix Canada. “The cable and telephone infrastructure in this country has allowed broadband service to flourish, and Canadian activity within the Digital Media landscape has responded accordingly.”

According to estimates of Canada’s online populations, more than half of all Internet users are classified as “active” – accessing the Web in a given month.

Key Usage Metrics by Connection Speed, January 2003
All Locations Total
Canada
Canada
Broadband
Canada
Dial-Up
Total Unique Visitors 16,906,000 9,068,000 7,838,000
% Composition Unique Visitors 100.0% 53.6% 46.4%
Average Daily Visitors (000) 12,336,000 7,269,000 5,067,000
Average Minutes per Visitor 2,104 2,521 1,621
Average Pages per Visitor 3,241 4,175 2,161
Source: comScore Media Metrix

According to the data, broadband users in Canada were more likely to be online in a given day, spent 55 percent more time online and viewed almost twice as many Web pages over the course of the month compared to dialup users in Canada.

Further analysis from comScore outlines the differences in online activities between broadband and dial-up users.

Top Site Categories Ranked on
Percent Composition of Users by
Connection Type, January 2003
Broadband Dial-Up
1.Radio 1. ISP
2. Luxury Goods 2. Corporate Presence
3. Sports 3. Services
4. Financial Information 4. Portals
5. Toys 5. Email
Source: comScore Media Metrix

Meanwhile, NFO Cfgroup determined that the growth of high-speed is possibly hampered by its lack of availability in small communities across Canada.

Tracking data indicates that in communities of less than 10,000 people, 66 percent of online households are dialing-up, while one in five use high-speed. But in communities with populations over 10,000, 36 percent of online households are dial-up users, compared to 54 percent that use broadband.

“If current trends continue, the high-speed Internet divide between urban and rural areas will widen,” says David Stark, public affairs director of NFO CFgroup.

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