Why are Canadians so much more likely to use broadband? Part 2

McKinsey says Canadians are twice as likely as US citizens to subscribe to broadband. This despite the fact that, according to McKinsey, roughly the same percentage of households have access to broadband in Canada (89%) and the US (87%).

I first looked at this issue Monday, when Ipsos-Reid released broadband penetration numbers for Canada and the US, but I didn’t have the access data, so it wasn’t clear whether that was the reason for the difference.

Interestingly, roughly the same percentage of online citizens of each country are interested in broadband (49% in the US and 54% in Canada). Also, the reasons for subscribing are about the same — speed, always-on connection, keeping the phone line open.

So, why are Canadian broadband providers getting so many more takers for their services?

NOTE: There are some problems with these two studies. McKinsey says that 43% of Canadian online households have broadband and Ipsos-Reid says 54%. McKinsey says 27% US online households have broadband and Ipsos-Reid says 34%. I can’t account for the discrepancy between the two firms, but the message is awfully clear.

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