Short Take: Study says online households will nearly triple by 2000

The number of online households worldwide will rise from 23.4 million in 1996 to 66.6 million in 2000, according to a new market study by Jupiter Communications. Increased PC penetration, telco deregulation, indigenous content development, and deployment of ISDN in Europe's and Asia's most advanced online markets will be among the key factors driving this growth. The United States will continue to lead in online households with 36 million in 2000, but its share of the total world market will drop from 62.8 percent in 1996 to 54.1 percent in 2000.