Posted: 26th Aug, 2006 By: MarkJ
Despite 40% of European Union households having access to the Internet, broadband has still only managed to penetrate 23% of the regions 25 member states. Meanwhile 12% of single occupant dwellings have broadband, compared with 34% of households with four people residing:
The Netherlands tops the broadband penetration rankings with a figure of 62 percent, followed by Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Only 2 percent of Greek households have broadband internet access, which is an even lower proportion than in many non-EU European countries.
Ireland (IREL.OB - news) is ahead of Greece and Slovakia for broadband penetration but still ranks miles behind its Western European neighbours (and accession states) with only 7 percent. Ireland also has the dubious honour of having the second highest narrowband penetration in Europe behind Lithuania with 29 percent.
Of the 60 percent of EU households that do not have any internet access at home, two in every five surveyed said they simply weren't interested in the internet, while 27 percent said they either lacked a computer or a means of connection. Nearly a fifth of houses without access said they simply couldn't afford it.
The figures were compiled through the EU E-Communications household survey carried out from December 2005 to January 2006.