U.S. Home Broadband and Wi-Fi Usage Forecast, 2019-2024: More time at home, more data at home

Home broadband usage in the U.S. has increased continuously over the last decade as U.S. consumers have expanded their use of the Internet and now engage in many high usage activities, such as video chatting, video conferencing and video streaming services on a variety of devices on their home Wi-Fi networks.

In 2020, the industry saw an even greater increase in home broadband usage, as many students and workers in the U.S. were forced to stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This market study estimates the amount of data used over home broadband connections in U.S. households from 2019 to 2024. It incorporates the expected impact of the COVID-19 stay-at-home mandates on home broadband usage in 2020 and future years, according to iGR’s assumptions about when and how the U.S. will return to ‘normal.’

Additionally, the forecast divides the data usage into that provided by wired Ethernet or Wi-Fi, and it is also splits usage between video and non-video content. In addition to the five-year forecast, this market study discusses the home broadband usage behaviors of U.S. consumers, using results from iGR’s May 2020 survey of over 1,500 U.S. mobile consumers.

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Key Questions Answered

• What are the home broadband usage characteristics of U.S. consumers in iGR’s survey? Specifically, what type of Internet connection, Wi-Fi, and devices do they use?
• What activities do U.S. consumers engage in on their home broadband connection?
• What are the video usage habits of U.S. consumers?
• How have subscription rates to cable TV services and home Internet services changed over the last two years?
• How many U.S. households have broadband Internet service? How is this adoption rate related to age, income and education level?
• Which broadband technologies are being used and what connection speeds are being provided to U.S. households?
• How much home broadband is used today by U.S. households, and how will this amount change over the five-year forecast period?
• How has home broadband usage in U.S. households been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020? How much will it affect later years of the forecast.
• How does usage compare between four quartiles of households that range from low-usage households to high-usage households?
• How many different Wi-Fi-enabled devices are typically used in a household?
• How much home broadband is driven by devices connected to a Wi-Fi network in U.S. households?
• How much home broadband is driven by video applications and non-video applications?

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Who Should Read

• Mobile operators
• Cable MSOs and other fixed broadband providers
• Device OEMs
• Content providers and distributors
• Financial analysts and investors.

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Table of Contents

• Abstract
• Executive Summary
  • What This Means
• Methodology
• U.S. Consumer Home Broadband Usage and Devices
  • Home Internet Service
  • Home Wi-Fi Network
  • Devices Used in the Home
  • Online Activities at Home
• U.S. Consumer Video Usage
  • Frequency
  • Locations
  • Internet Video Sources
• The Trend to Disconnect TV Service
  • Mobile Consumers without TV Service
  • Mobile Consumers with TV Service
• Trends Regarding Disconnection of Home Internet Service
• U.S. Home Broadband Background Information
  • Number of Household Connections
  • Household Connections by Technology
  • Household Connections by Income
  • Household Connections by Education
  • Household Connections by Age
  • Household Connections by Speed
  • Trend Toward Higher Speeds
• iGR Home Broadband Forecast Background Information
  • Data Amounts Associated with Online Activities
  • Quartiles
• iGR Home Broadband Forecast
  • Number of Household Devices
  • Number of Household Connections
  • Speed of Broadband Connections
  • Speed of Broadband Connections as a Determinant of Quartiles
  • Quartile Descriptions
  • Forecast Assumptions and Drivers
  • Total Home Broadband Usage Estimate
• iGR Home Broadband Wi-Fi Usage Forecast
  • Drivers and Assumptions
  • Wi-Fi Usage Forecast
• iGR Home Broadband Video Usage Forecast
  • Drivers and Assumptions
  • Video Usage Forecast
• Survey Demographics
  • Demographic Profile of U.S. Consumer Respondents
• Definitions
• About iGR
  • Disclaimer

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List of Tables

• Table A: Forecast of Average Household BW Usage, 2019-2024, Pre-COVID and Post-COVID
• Table 1: Telecom Services at Home among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Table 2: Types of Home Internet Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Table 3: Interest in 5G Home Internet Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Table 4: Speed of Home Internet Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Table 5: Number of Wi-Fi Access Points at Home
• Table 6: Devices Used in the Home
• Table 7: Internet TV Set-up
• Table 8: Number of In-Home Devices
• Table 9: Mobile Device Usage in the Home
• Table 10: Locations of Automatic Wi-Fi Connection
• Table 11: Online Activities While at Home
• Table 12: Frequency of Online Activities While at Home
• Table 13: Type of Connection for Online Activities While at Home
• Table 14: Future Home Internet Usage
• Table 15: Number of Days Working from Home
• Table 16: Frequency of Watching Video Content among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Table 17: Locations for Watching Video Content among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Table 18: Entertainment Programming Video Services Used among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Table 19: Sports Programming Video Services Used among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Table 20: Frequency of Internet Video Services Used among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Table 21: Percentage of Video Time on an Internet Video Service
• Table 22: Disconnection of Previous TV Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Table 23: Why Disconnected TV Service
• Table 24: How Watch TV at Home without TV Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Table 25: Likelihood to Disconnect TV Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Table 26: Why Might Disconnect TV Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Table 27: Regarding U.S. Mobile Consumers with No Home Internet Service
• Table 28: Disconnection of Previous Home Internet Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Table 29: When Home Internet Service was Disconnected
• Table 30: Why Home Internet Service was Disconnected
• Table 31: Distribution of Fixed U.S. Residential Connections by Technology
• Table 32: Distribution of Fixed U.S. Residential Connections by Income Decile
• Table 33: Distribution of Fixed U.S. Residential Connections by Education Decile
• Table 34: Distribution of Fixed U.S. Residential Connections by Age Decile
• Table 35: Distribution of U.S. Fixed Residential Connections by Downstream Speed
• Table 36: Speed of Home Internet Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Table 37: Devices per Household, 2019-2024
• Table 38: Penetration of Broadband in U.S. Households
• Table 39: Home Internet Speed Tiers in iGR’s Quartiles
• Table 40: First Quartile
• Table 41: Second Quartile
• Table 42: Third Quartile
• Table 43: Fourth Quartile
• Table 44: Forecast of Household BW Usage by Quartile, 2019-2024
• Table 45: Forecast of Average Household BW Usage, 2019-2024, Pre-COVID and Post-COVID
• Table 46: Number of U.S. Household Connections per Quartile, 2019-2024
• Table 47: Total U.S. HH Home Broadband Data Usage per Month by Quartile, 2019-2024 (PBs)
• Table 48: Total U.S. HH Home Broadband Data Usage per Month by Quartile, 2019-2024 (Percentage)
• Table 49: Wi-Fi as Percent of First Quartile HH’s Total Home Broadband Data Usage, 2019-2024
• Table 50: Wi-Fi as Percent of Second Quartile HH’s Total Home Broadband Data Usage, 2019-2024
• Table 51: Wi-Fi as Percent of Third Quartile HH’s Total Home Broadband Data Usage, 2019-2024
• Table 52: Wi-Fi as Percent of Fourth Quartile HH’s Total Home Broadband Data Usage, 2019-2024
• Table 53: Average Wi-Fi Usage as Percent of Average Total Home Broadband Data Usage, 2019-2024
• Table 54: Average Video Usage as Percent of Average Total Home Broadband Data Usage, 2019-2024
• Table 55: Respondent Age
• Table 56: Respondent Gender
• Table 57: Respondent Marital Status
• Table 58: Respondent Ethnic Background
• Table 59: Respondent Annual Household Income
• Table 60: Respondent Level of Education
• Table 61: Size of Household
• Table 62: Age of Children in Household
• Table 63: Respondent Region
• Definitions Table

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List of Charts

• Figure A: Forecast of Average Household BW Usage, 2019-2024, Pre-COVID and Post-COVID
• Figure 1: Telecom Services at Home among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Figure 2: Types of Home Internet Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Figure 3: Interest in 5G Home Internet Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Figure 4: Speed of Home Internet Service among U.S. Mobile consumers
• Figure 5: Number of Wi-Fi Access Points at Home
• Figure 6: Devices Used in the Home
• Figure 7: Internet TV Set-up
• Figure 8: Number of In-Home Devices
• Figure 9: Mobile Device Usage in the Home
• Figure 10: Locations of Automatic Wi-Fi Connection
• Figure 11: Online Activities While at Home
• Figure 12: Frequency of Online Activities While at Home
• Figure 13: Type of Connection for Online Activities While at Home
• Figure 14: Future Home Internet Usage
• Figure 15: Number of Days Working from Home
• Figure 16: Frequency of Watching Video Content among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Figure 17: Locations for Watching Video Content among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Figure 18: Entertainment Programming Video Services Used among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Figure 19: Sports Programming Video Services Used among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Figure 20: Frequency of Internet Video Services Used among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Figure 21: Percentage of Video Time on an Internet Video Service
• Figure 22: Disconnection of Previous TV Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Figure 23: Why Disconnected TV Service
• Figure 24: How Watch TV at Home without TV Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Figure 25: Likelihood to Disconnect TV Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Figure 26: Why Might Disconnect TV Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Figure 27: Regarding U.S. Mobile Consumers with No Home Internet Service
• Figure 28: Disconnection of Previous Home Internet Service among U.S. Mobile Consumers
• Figure 29: When Home Internet Service was Disconnected
• Figure 30: Why Home Internet Service was Disconnected
• Figure 31: Distribution of Fixed U.S. Residential Connections by Technology
• Figure 32: Distribution of Fixed U.S. Residential Connections by Income Decile
• Figure 33: Distribution of Fixed U.S. Residential Connections by Education Decile
• Figure 34: Distribution of Fixed U.S. Residential Connections by Age Decile
• Figure 35: Distribution of U.S. Fixed Residential Connections by Downstream Speed
• Figure 36: Speed of Home Internet Service among U.S. mobile consumers
• Figure 37: Distribution of U.S. Fixed Residential Connections by Speed (Percentage)
• Figure 38: Percentage of Fixed Residential Connections with speeds over 3 Mbps, 2011-2017
• Figure 39: Median Downstream Speed for Fixed Residential Connections, 2014-2017
• Figure 40: Devices per Household, 2019-2024
• Figure 41: Penetration of Broadband in U.S. Households
• Figure 42: Forecast of Household BW Usage by Quartile, 2019-2024
• Figure 43: Forecast of Average Household BW Usage, 2019-2024, Pre-COVID and Post-COVID
• Figure 44: Number of U.S. Household Connections per Quartile, 2019-2024
• Figure 45: Total U.S. HH Home Broadband Data Usage per Month by Quartile, 2019-2024 (PBs)
• Figure 46: Total U.S. HH Home Broadband Data Usage per Month by Quartile, 2019-2024 (Percentage)
• Figure 47: Wi-Fi as Portion of First Quartile HH’s Total Home Broadband Data Usage, 2019-2024, (GB/month/HH)
• Figure 48: Wi-Fi as Portion of Second Quartile HH’s Total Home Broadband Data Usage, 2019-2024, (GB/month/HH)
• Figure 49: Wi-Fi as Portion of Third Quartile HH’s Total Home Broadband Data Usage, 2019-2024, (GB/month/HH)
• Figure 50: Wi-Fi as Portion of Fourth Quartile HH’s Total Home Broadband Data Usage, 2019-2024, (GB/month/HH)
• Figure 51: Average Wi-Fi Usage as Portion of Average Total Home Broadband Data Usage, 2019-2024
• Figure 52: Average Video Usage as Portion of Average Total Home Broadband Data Usage, 2019-2024
• Figure 53: Respondent Age
• Figure 54: Respondent Gender
• Figure 55: Respondent Marital Status
• Figure 56: Respondent Ethnic Background
• Figure 57: Respondent Annual Household Income
• Figure 58: Respondent Level of Education
• Figure 59: Size of Household
• Figure 60: Age of Children in Household
• Figure 61: Respondent Region

For additional information on the U.S. Home Broadband & Wi-Fi Usage Forecast, 2019-2024 market study, please contact Iain Gillott at (512) 263-5682 or by email.