More households have a broadband connection in Finland than on the average in the EU

In February 2006, 62 per cent of households in Finland were connected to the Internet. In four cases out of five the connection was broadband. There were over 1.2 million broadband connections to households. According to the data collected in 2005, more households had broadband access in Finland than in the EU on the average. The countries with the largest numbers of households with broadband access were Iceland, the Netherlands and Denmark. By contrast, Greece, Cyprus, the Czech Republic and Ireland were far behind the EU target of having all households connected to the Internet via broadband.

Broadband access at home, per cent of all households in 2005

These data derive from Statistics Finland's new publication Information Society Statistics 2006, which reports on the development of the information society in Finland during the past decade. The compilation publication contains time series on entrepreneurial activity, production and foreign trade, as well as on R&D in information and communications technologies. In addition, it describes how the Finns use information and communications technologies, and the related infrastructure, data security, and the electronic services offered by public authorities and their use. International comparative data are also included.

Excerpts from the contents of the publication

In 2004, information technology goods were produced in Finland to the total value of around EUR 15 billion. Approximately 15 per cent of the value of industrial output in Finland came from the manufacture of communications equipment.
The share of information technology products of Finland's goods exports was at its largest at the turn of the millennium when ICT, principally communications equipment and electronic components, accounted for one-quarter of all goods exports. In 2005, information technology goods were exported to a value exceeding EUR 11.7 billion, which represented 22 per cent of the total value of goods exports.
In 2004, the IT sector was a significant employer in the regions of Uusimaa, North Osrobothnia, Pirkanmaa and Varsinais-Suomi. It provided jobs for more than 10 per cent of the total personnel of all establishments in these regions.
In spring 2005, three in four persons between the ages of 15 and 74 had used a computer during the three months preceding the survey. Almost all students, and even 88 per cent of wage and salary earners but only 38 per cent of pensioners were computer users.
Three Finns in four aged 15 to 74 had used the Internet in spring 2005. The proportion of regular Internet users among the whole population is in Finland around the same size as the average for the EU. However, aged people between 65 and 74 use the Internet clearly less in Finland than in the EU countries on the average.
In spring 2005, 65 per cent of all enterprises employing at least five persons had their own homepages. The larger the enterprise, the greater the likelihood that it had its own website. Ninety-three per cent of the largest enterprises but only 54 per cent of the smallest ones in Finland had their own homepages. Among the EU countries, Finland ranks third after Sweden and Denmark in the number of enterprises that maintain their own website.

Source: Information Society Statistics 2006. Statistics Finland.
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