According to the OECD, broadband penetration rates are measured by the number of broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants. Broadband connections include fixed and wireless services offering Internet connectivity with download speeds greater than 256kbit/second: including DSL, Cable, fibre-to-the-premises, and wireless connections—such as Satellite, LMDS, MMDS, Wimax, other fixed wireless connections. It does not include mobile wireless technologies—such as 3G mobile and WiFi. Between the second quarter of 2002 and the fourth quarter of 2009 broadband penetration rates grew from 5.5 to 26.4 in the US, from 1.3 to 29.5 in the UK, and from 1.3 to 23.3 broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in Australia. On average, OECD countries grew from 3.8% broadband penetration in the second quarter of 2002 to 23.3% in the fourth quarter of 2009. By the end of 2009, the highest penetration rates were seen in Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Norway. The lowest penetration rates in OECD countries were seen in Turkey, Mexico, and Chile—which all had below 10% broadband penetration by 2009. In 2008 Korea had the highest percentage of households with broadband access—at 94.3 per 100 households. Turkey and Mexico had the lowest percentage of households with broadband access—both at less than 10. In looking at broadband penetration trends, the OECD points out that statistical country comparisons should be undertaken with caution as there are breadth of market, regulatory and geographic factors which help determine penetration rates, prices, and speeds. According to the OECD Broadband Portal: “Broadband subscription penetration rankings tell nothing of the prices that users pay, the advertised speeds of connections, or whether there are restrictive bit/data caps on those lines. Countries doing well in one measure may be weaker in another.” Data is from the OECD Broadband Statistics, December 2009. Click on the column heading to sort the table. | 
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