One third of internet connections at home uses broadband

A third of all households with internet in 2003 used broadband. About half accessed the internet through a traditional analogue modem and one sixth used ISDN. More and more households opt for a high speed connection.

Cable and ADSL

Three households in four with broadband internet used the cable in 2003. ADSL was used by fewer households, but had the fastest growth rate. In the period 2002-2003 the share of ADSL-connections doubled to 9 percent of all households with internet.

More ADSL in urban areas

ADSL is mainly used by households living in highly urbanised areas, where ADSL was already widely available in 2003. Availability was far more limited in less urbanised areas, so that households in these areas used cable relatively often.

In the province Zeeland, for example, 99 percent of the households with broadband use the cable for their internet connection. This unusual pattern also applies for broadband use in the northern tip of the province North Holland, where nine households in ten used cable. Cable links to the Internet are not available everywhere, however.

Broadband access of households with internet by COROP region, 2003

Regional pattern

The use of broadband in households was above average in the COROP regions  Alkmaar, IJmond, Zaanstreek, The Hague Agglomeration and Greater-Rijnmond.

In the COROP region Leiden Agglomeration en Bollenstreek broadband access among households is below average. It is remarkable that three households with broadband in four have ADSL in this region. The eastern part of the province South Holland also has this pattern.

European top

Broadband is well established in the Netherlands, compared with other European countries. In the Netherlands one in five households has broadband. Only Denmark is more advanced, since a quarter of all Danish households has broadband access.

Internet access of households by COROP region, 2003

Internet access

Six households in ten had a pc with internet in the Netherlands 1n 2003. In the COROP regions Greater Rijnmond, Greater Amsterdam and South Limburg internet access of households is below the national average.

Vincent Fructuoso van der Veen