Broadband popular globally despite recession

Consumers around the world are continuing to sign-up for high-speed broadband despite the global economic downturn, the Broadband Forum revealed today.

Growth in the first quarter of 2009 continued to gather pace compared to the fourth quarter of 2008.

“[Our] report shows that despite the economic situation the world is facing, the demand for both broadband and IPTV continues at pace as people everywhere look to improve the quality and speed of their communications,” said George Dobrowski, Broadband Forum President and Chairman.

Statistics from the Forum reveal that Western Europe holds top position as the world’s largest broadband market with 108 million broadband subscribers.

Latin America, South and East Asia, and Eastern Europe are the three main regions driving growth, with subscribers up 36%, 26% and 30% on year respectively.

The total number of broadband lines around the world is now at 429 million.

China has overtaken the US in the past year as the single country with the most broadband lines, with over 88 million consumers subscribed to broadband in China.

The US takes second place with 84 million subscribers, whilst the UK comes in sixth with 17.5 million broadband users.

The data was gathered for the Broadband Forum by Point Topic.

“Growth is high in Eastern Europe because IPTV take up is still relatively low when compared to other regions such as North America and Asia Pacific,” said John Bonsell, Point Topic analyst.

“This is good news for operators and subscribers, because there is plenty of potential for growth coupled with a wide range of IPTV services, so cost should remain low.”

Robin Mersh, Broadband Forum CEO, said broadband is now seen as “a necessity rather than a luxury.”

Established in 1994, the Broadband Forum represents approximately 200 firms in the telecoms and computing industries.

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