Broadband users pass dial-up in time on Net

Broadband usage is rising, despite the slow pace at whichapplications are developed that take advantage of high-speed, always-on connections and the waning number of broadband providers.

During January, U.S. broadband usage exceeded dial-up usage forthe first time ever as measured by the amount of time people spentonline, according to Nielsen/NetRatings.

What does that mean?

That broadband usage has hit what the marketers call "mainstream,"with time spent online by broadband surfers surpassing the critical50 percent benchmark. Industry analysts say greater broadbandpenetration will hasten the much-ballyhooed convergence of televisionand the Internet.

Because only a fraction of Netizens have high-speed connections,the new numbers suggest people with broadband are spending more timesurfing, while dial-up users are going online to take care ofbusiness and getting off.

In January, broadband users spent 1.19 billion hours online,compared with 1.14 billion for the dial-up crowd.

The number of broadband hours logged in January adds up to a 64percent increase over January 2001, when broadband users logged 727million hours online.

Dial-up usage slipped 3 percent last year, from 1.18 billionhours in January of 2001 to 1.14 billion this year.

Households with broadband access rose 67 percent from January 2001to January of this year, for a total of 21.9 million homes witheither cable, satellite or digital subscriber line connections.

Dialup connections are still far more prevalent, however, at 82million.

Studies show that broadband users are more affluent than dial-upusers and are getting exposed to more online advertising, so they buymore products and services online.