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As high-speed access becomes the hookup of choice, broadband subscriber growth has taken off.
According to the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based market research firm, In-Stat, approximately 65 million new broadband subscribers signed up for high-speed access to the Internet over the 12-month period ending on May 30.
The firm projects that growth to continue, with total worldwide broadband subscribers nearly doubling from 285 million to 567 million by the year 2011.
According to In-Stat analyst Mike Paxton, “The principal market driver for the adoption of broadband service is pretty straightforward: People want to access the Internet with a higher-speed connection.”
Paxton adds that the emergence of other online applications, such as viewing video clips and TV programming, downloading music files and playing online games, are also fueling end-user demand for what he calls “fatter pipes.”
Additionally, In-Stat found DSL and cable modem services are the two leading access technologies, providing 92 percent of worldwide broadband connections. DSL is expected to remain the technology of choice, accounting for 58 percent of all worldwide broadband connections by 2011.
However, other access technologies will provide competition. For example, by 2011, In-Stat also projects more than 55 million households to be using fiber-to-the-home for broadband access. EC
About The Author
LAEZMAN is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer who has been covering renewable power for more than 10 years. He may be reached at [email protected].
