Internet Penetration Reaches 295 Million Worldwide 18/09/00 More than 295 million people across 20 countries in Europe, Asia Pacific and North America now have Internet access from a home PC, according to Nielsen//NetRatings' first-ever examination of Internet access and penetration in those regions. The findings are from the new Nielsen//NetRatings Global Internet Trends service, a subscription service reporting key Internet penetration figures across 17 countries in Europe and Asia Pacific. The second quarter 2000 service covers data collected between April and June 2000 across Europe and Asia Pacific, drawn from more than 25,000 surveys. The Q2 service covers: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand. In the third quarter 2000 the service will expand to provide reports on trends in North America and globally, with continued expansion as additional markets come online. The service also found that in the second quarter 2000, more people in every country except Switzerland had Internet access at home than at work. At an individual level, the adult populations (16+) of Norway, Denmark and Sweden have the highest levels of access to the Internet from any location, including work. In addition, greater proportions of their populations have used the Internet and remain frequent users, are more likely to browse the Internet for product and pricing information and register among the most prolific online purchasers. Nielsen//NetRatings Global Internet Trends measures more than thirty factors, including: the number of total households and people with Internet access at home or other locations; the demographic breakdown of the home Internet population; home PC ownership; rates of use of home PCs for connection to the Internet; the period of time when Internet access was acquired in a household or is expected; the number of fixed and mobile telephones per household, and the level of online purchasing.