More than 250,000 households, or every one in five, in Singapore are now surfing on the country’s speedy fibre broadband network, according to survey results released by Opennet on Wednesday.
The company rolling out the network here said the number has increased quickly over the 100,000 at the start of the year, as more people look to watch videos and download music with faster connections.
The growth is not unexpected, as more users are being hooked up to the islandwide network. At the same time, the newly-opened up market has produced cheaper services, starting at S$39 a month for a 100Mbps service, and more variety in the form of services optimised for gamers.
The growth has been consistent, except for spikes when quarterly technology bazaars swing around, said Opennet CEO Mark Blake. At the last Sitex show, it had to hook up some 4,400 users who signed up.
The main reason for signing up to fibre is speed, followed by cost, according to a survey that Opennet carried out with research firm Acorn Marketing and Research Consultants between August and September.
What do these users do with the faster connection? Not surprisingly, e-mail still reigns as the most common online activity.
Among about 500 users interviewed in the survey, 84 per cent said they used e-mail, while 72 per cent said they streamed video over the Internet. The next few popular activities were movie downloads (49 per cent), music downloads (48 per cent) and online banking (45 per cent).
The researchers also found that users of different age groups used the Internet quite differently.
Those between 15 and 24 tend to spend more time downloading and uploading content and playing games, while those between 25 and 34 are more interested in streaming videos and buying things online. The above-35 group seems keener on online banking, work-related activities and blogging, among others.
Through the survey, Opennet also claims that people are more satisfied with its installation of fibre points at home. The satisfaction rate among those interviewed, it says, is 84 per cent, up from 68 per cent a year ago. This is despite several problems often pointed out by users in various media.
To find out more, download and read the survey report.
Glad to say I wasn’t and still am not an early adopter. There’s no business case for getting a home fibre connection, unless for trophy gains.