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Top U.S. ISPs by Subscriber:
History
Sometimes the best perspective of a specific market segment requires a look at a larger picture. The long-term view of our ranking history reveals a great deal about which ISP operators report the truest numbers—over the long haul.
Managing Editor ISP-Planet [August 17, 2001] |
 |
Some readers may look at BlueLight.com's 47 percent growth rate in active users over the past three months and gasp. But BlueLight.com showed a 46 percent loss in active users between the end of last year and the first three months of this year. Remember, all things are relative and 1 percent growth on the year is nothing to write home about.
The same is true for Verizon's doubling of its subscriber base. Since we started ranking the Top 20 ISPs in the U.S., the Baby Bell's tally has barely changed at all. This is because not all providers share subscriber data with the public on a quarterly basis. As is the case with AT&T Worldnet and MSN, which prefer to announce new customer milestones when attained, while allowing analysts to compare old data on an apples-to-oranges basis. Why do investors tolerate such behavior?
How can you measure your ISP's performance against the top performers?
Go with the law of averages—the average Top 20 U.S. ISP increased
its subscriber base by 4 percent between the first and second quarter
of this year, 11 percent on the year. All things considered, this means
that AOL is average.
|
+
/ -
Change (Q1/Q2) |
ISP
|
Q2
2001
Subs. (millions) |
Q1
2001
Subs. (millions) |
Year
End 2000
Subs. (millions) |
Q3
2000
Subs. (millions) |
|
+
4% |
America
Online
|
23.5
*
|
22.7*
|
17.5*
|
15.7*
|
|
+
2% |
EarthLink
|
4.9
|
4.8
|
4.6
|
4.3
|
|
-
20% |
Juno
Online
|
3.3
±
|
4.1
(5.9m total±) |
4.0
(14.2m total±) |
3.7
(12.8m total±) |
|
-
8% |
NetZero
|
3.4
±
|
4.4
(8.4m total±) |
3.5
(7.0m total±) |
3.6
(7.2mtotal±) |
|
+
30% |
MSN
Internet
|
6.5
|
5.0
|
4.0
|
3.5
|
|
+
2% |
@Home
|
3.3
|
3.2
|
2.9
|
2.3
|
|
+
47% |
BlueLight.com
|
2.8
±
|
1.9*
(6.6m total±) |
2.8*
(5.5m total±) |
2.8
(5.5mtotal±) |
|
No
Change |
Compuserve
[AOL]
|
3.0
|
3.0
|
2.8
|
—
|
|
-
7% |
Prodigy
[Includes SBC Narrowband] |
3.3
|
3.1
|
2.17
|
2.2
|
|
No
Change |
Gateway.net
[AOL]
|
1.7
|
1.7
|
1.7
|
—
|
|
No
Change |
AT&T
WorldNet
|
1.3
|
1.3
|
1.3 |
1.5
|
|
+
17% |
Road
Runner
[AOL]
|
1.4
|
1.2
|
1.0
|
1.0
|
|
+
12% |
Bell
South
|
.735
|
.655
|
.655
|
.655
|
|
+
91% |
Verizon
|
1.0
|
.525
|
.525
|
.525
|
|
-
20% |
Other
ISPs
|
6.4²
|
9.5²
|
10.7²
|
N/A
|
|
*
|
AOL Time Warner U.S. Subscriber figures reflect the ISPs reported worldwide customer counts, less international subscribers, less Compuserve subscribers, and less Gateway.net subscribers. |
|
±
|
Free ISP subscriber ranking based onusers actually long on each month as "active users" as opposed to the total number reported by the ISP as "registered users." Juno Online, BlueLight.com and NetZero report actual active user figures on a monthly basis. |
|
²
|
U.S. Online population total and market share figures based on information from the Computer Industry Almanac, quoted in CyberAtlas US Online Population: 70,700,000 |
— End
Related articles:
| [June 11, 2001] | Top 20 U.S. ISPs by Subscriber: Q1 2001 | ||
| [June 11, 2001] | Top 10 U.S. Dial-Up ISPs by Paid Subscriber | ||
| [May 10, 2001] | Top U.S. ISPs by Subscriber: New User Growth |
Other ISP-Planet Resources:
| Subscriber Value by Category | |||
| Subscriber Ranking History | |||
|
|
| Best of ISP-Planet | ||
|---|---|---|
|
ISP-Planet
Guide
ISP-Planet's Principal Studies Directories:
Q2 2008 Top U.S. ISPs by Subscriber (Updated 08/29/2008)
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