Hong Kong sets pace in home broadband
Two-thirds of home Internet users in Hong Kong use broadband, out-numbering overseas counterparts by a large margin, according to a report by Nielsen/NetRatings.
Hong Kong topped the survey, followed by Germany and Sweden, where 45 per cent and 43 per cent respectively of Internet household surfers had high-speed connection. Only 17 per cent of United States Internet households had broadband access.
The survey did not look at South Korea or Japan, both of which have high broadband use.
Peter Steyn, director of sales and marketing, said: 'In every country in this report, the majority of surfers use a 56K or slower modem to access the Internet . . . The exception is Hong Kong. It indicates a well-developed high-speed infrastructure and the consumer desire to experience the Internet to maximum potential.'
High use of audio-visual services offered over the Internet, such as watching movies and playing Internet games, pumped up demand for broadband, he said. 'They use online media and audio-visual facilities because they have broadband access, but it is also true that they subscribe to broadband because they like these activities.'
Hong Kong surfers also ranked first in the amount of time spent on the Internet - an average of 16 hours a month, far higher than the global average of 10. They browse more Web sites, as each surfer saw 1,400 Web pages every month versus the global average of 800.
Broadband use in Hong Kong grew by 8 per cent in the second quarter compared with the first.
Nielsen/NetRatings Global Internet Trends conducted quarterly surveys on Internet access and use in Hong Kong, the US, Australia, Britain, Brazil, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden and Germany. The latest findings were based on surveys in April. They show an increase in access via home PCs from 531 million in the first quarter to 553 million in the second.
