Report: US Consumers more savvy about broadband options

March 5, 2008
MARCH 5, 2008 -- US consumers are becoming aware of the limitations that some broadband service connections provide, particularly in regard to available bandwidth, reports In-Stat.

MARCH 5, 2008 -- US consumers are becoming aware of the limitations that some broadband service connections provide, particularly in regard to available bandwidth, reports In-Stat (search for In-Stat).

"As a general rule of thumb in the broadband world, higher bandwidth is better," says Mike Paxton, In-Stat analyst. "Consumers readily recognize this fact, and many of them are actively looking for a broadband service that will increase the amount of bandwidth that they can use."

In order to determine US residential broadband speeds, In-Stat recently surveyed over 700 broadband households. These households use several different types of broadband access technologies, to include cable modem service, DSL, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), satellite broadband, and fixed wireless. A key part of this survey consisted of the households taking a broadband "speed test" administered by an online bandwidth measurement site. The results of this survey included:


  • The average downstream speed of a US broadband connection is 3.8 Mbits/sec, while the average upstream speed is 980 kbits/sec.
  • FTTH connections offer the fastest broadband speeds, followed by cable modem and DSL connections. The average downstream FTTH speed was 8.8 Mbits/sec, while cable modem connections averaged 4.9 Mbits/sec and DSL averaged 2.1 Mbits/sec.
  • The average monthly price for broadband service is currently just over $38.
  • Over 83% of respondents to the In-Stat consumer survey stated they were either "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with their current connection.
The research, "US Residential Broadband Services: How Fast is 'High-Speed?" (#IN0804264MBS), covers the US market for residential broadband services. It details consumer survey results about the amount of bandwidth currently available to residential broadband end-users in the United States. It covers the type of broadband access technology (i.e., cable modem, DSL, etc.) being used, the company providing the service, the download and upload speeds of the end-users broadband connection, and how much they are paying for broadband service.

The price is $1,495 (US).

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