US outpacing Europe in broadband usage

The US is outpacing Europe in average broadband usage, according to industry analytics and technology provider OpenVault.

According to OpenVault, average cable broadband usage per household in Europe grew at a rate of 19.5% during the 12 months ended June 30, 2018, compared to an average of 31% in the US during the same period.

Among what OpenVault describes as ‘power users’, in Europe only 0.46% of households use more than 1TB per month, compared with 2.5% of households in the US.

Globally, household broadband usage growth continues to grow at an annual rate of more than 30%. Average usage per household as of June 30, 2018 was 226.4GB, up slightly from Q1 2018.

OpenVault data showed year over year average usage growth of 31.3%, from 172.4GB per household to 226.4GB. Year over year median usage grew by 37.4%, from 88GB per home to more than 116.4GB. Year over year growth in power users – those consuming more that 1TB, was over 100%, from 1.2% of homes to 2.5%.

According to OpenVault, usage-based billing plays a key role in curbing usage growth and strain on networks.

By comparing operators offering usage-based billing with those that offer flat-rate pricing, the company found that usage per household was 12.2% higher average usage per home for non-usage-based billing operators – averaging 241.9GB in June 2018 – versus 215.6GB for usage-based billing operators;

It also found that the increase in usage among non-usage-based billing homes was 34% greater year-over-year than for usage-based billing customers. Usage among non-usage-based billing customers increased by 36.6%, versus 27.3% for usage-based billing customers, for the 12 months ended June 30, 2018.