2.3 mln Americans signed up for broadband in Q3 2004

According to Leichtman Research Group, the twenty largest cable and DSL providers in the US (representing about 95% of the market) achieved record net additions in Q3 of 2004. Combined net additions for the quarter totaled over 2.3 mln subscribers - a total that slightly exceeded the previous record set in Q1 2004. The top broadband providers now account for over 30.9 mln high-speed Internet subscribers, with cable having nearly 18.8 mln broadband subscribers, and DSL having close to 12.2 mln subscribers.The top cable providers added 1.28 mln subscribers, representing 55% of the net broadband additions for the quarter versus DSL rebounding from last quarter when DSL, for Q1 ever, had a greater share of net additions than cable. The top cable broadband providers retain a 6.6 mln subscriber advantage over DSL and have a 61% share of the total market versus DSL. In 2004, from the end of Q3 2003 to the end of Q3 2004, cable and DSL added 8.3 mln net subscribers.