Super fast internet connections still a rarity

by Jacquie Bowser, Brand Republic 04-Apr-08, 15:00

LONDON - 'Super fast' 8Mb-plus broadband connections are only as common in the UK as the old 'dial-up' connections, with each used by 3% of Britons, according to Nielsen Online.

Just 3% of Britons use 'super fast' broadband, while the majority of UK users, 52%, use connection speeds between only 512Kb and 2Mb.

Alex Burmaster, internet analyst at Nielsen Online, said: "'Super fast' broadband is aggressively advertised by the ISPs, some even referring to it now as 'standard', but it is an unrealistic pipe dream for the vast majority of Britons online.

"Aside from how much you're willing to pay, your maximum speed is really dependent on the distance you are from the local phone exchange and the quality of its technology."

Nielsen's research found that the faster the connection speed, the more time people spend online, with those on the fastest speed (8Mb or over) averaging 22% more time online than those on the lowest (128Kb).

However, despite the increasing popularity of online video, people with high-speed connections are more likely to visit automotive websites than broadcast media websites.

Automotive parts and accessories, multi-category automotive and car manufacturer websites are the top three most-popular sites visited by high-speed users. Other sectors in the top ten included ticketing and events, targeted communities, computer news, credit cards, weather, transport information and arts or graphics.

Broadcast media websites ranked surprisingly low in terms of concentration of high-speed users and were placed just 33rd, followed by video and movie sites, which came 42nd, and sites holding media player and file-sharing applications, which came 63rd.

Burmaster added: "It was very surprising to see the sectors one expected to have the highest concentration of high-speed users, such as entertainment and file-sharing, actually ranked quite low compared to other, more functional areas such as automotive, buying tickets, getting a credit card or checking the weather.

"On reflection, it seems that entertainment, despite being a core part of ISP advertising campaigns, isn't a major cause of people having high-speed access. The research actually points to the complete opposite -- people just want to be able to do the functional things with the minimum of fuss."

The results come at a time when commercial broadcasters such as ITV, Channel 4 and Five are continuing to expand their video-on-demand services.