Broadband subscribership increases dramatically.Through a variety of technologies, broadband Internet access Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is high speed Internet access—typically contrasted with dial-up access over modem. Dial-up modems are generally only capable of a maximum bitrate of 56 kbit/s (kilobits per second) and require the full use of a is becoming more prevalent in rural America. According to the "NTCA NTCA National Telecommunications Cooperative Association NTCA National Telephone Cooperative Association NTCA National Tile Contractors Association NTCA National Token Collectors Association NTCA Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association 2005 Broadband/Internet Availability Survey Report," released in September, 96% of respondents offer broadband to some part of their customer base, up from 92% in 2004 and a dramatic increase from 58% recorded in 2000. While the dial-up take rate remains unchanged at 21%, subscribership to all levels of broadband service has increased dramatically. Other findings include: * Fifty-six kilobits per second (unit) kilobits per second - (kbps, kb/s) A unit of data rate where 1 kb/s = 1000 bits per second. This contrasts with units of storage where 1 Kb = 1024 bits (note upper case K). (kbps) service is available to 100% of respondents' customers. Seventy-four percent can receive 200 kbps-500 kbps service; 72% can recieve 1 megabit per second A megabit per second (abbreviated as Mbit/s, Mbps, or mbps) is a unit of data transfer rate equal to 1,000,000 bits per second. Because there are 8 bits in a byte, a transfer speed of 8 megabits per second (8 Mbps) is equivalent to 1,000,000 bytes (Mbps) (up sharply from 57% a year ago); and 31% can recieve 3 Mbps. On average, 21% of respondents' customers subscribe to 56 kbps service (unchanged from last year); 12% subscribe to 200 kbps-500 kbps service; 5% to 1 Mbps; and 4% to 3 Mbps offerings (up from 8%, 2%, and 2%, respectively, last year). * Ninety-nine percent of companies that offer broadband utilize digital subscriber line See DSL. (communications, protocol) Digital Subscriber Line - (DSL, or Digital Subscriber Loop, xDSL - see below) A family of digital telecommunications protocols designed to allow high speed data communication over the existing copper telephone lines between end-users and ; 19% unlicensed wireless; 12% fiber to the home (FTTH) or fiber to the curb Fiber to the curb (FTTC), also called fibre to the kerb (FTTK),[1] is a telecommunications system based on fiber-optic cables run to a platform that serves several customers. ; 10% cable modem; and 9% licensed wireless. * Continuing a long-term trend of increasing competition, 85% of survey respondents indicated competition from at least one other service provider, up from 76% one year ago. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] * Sixty-two percent of respondents with a short-term fiber deployment strategy plan to offer fiber to the node Fiber to the node (FTTN), also called fiber to the neighborhood or fiber to the cabinet (FTTCab),[1] is a telecommunication architecture based on fiber-optic cables run to a cabinet serving a neighborhood. to more than 75% of their customers by year-end 2005, while 83% plan to offer FTTH to 25% of their customers over the same time frame. * Four percent of respondents currently offer voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) service, up dramatically from less than 1% last year. Fifty-seven percent face competitors that also do so, versus 42% a year ago. Seventy-one percent of respondents have plans to offer VoIP themselves in the foreseeable future. * Eighty-six percent of survey respondents classified the process of obtaining financing for broadband projects as fairly to moderately easy, up dramatically from 68% one year ago. [www.ntca.org] Compiled by Megan O'Donnell, NTCA Communications Assistant and Jesse Ward, Publications Manager |
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