The number of fixed broadband connections worldwide will rise steadily to reach just under one billion by the end of the decade.
The number of fixed broadband connections worldwide to reach approximately 750 million by the end of this year according to one analyst’s forecasts which show the number of broadband lines across the world will reach 989.4 million by 2020, falling just short of the landmark figure.
While the growth rate appears relatively static, it is not as strong as some previous estimates, as reports in previous years had predicted the market would top the one billion figure, before the company lowered its expectations twice in the past year.
Point Topic’s latest Global Broadband Subscriber forecast provides bi-annual forecasts for the 114 countries with the highest broadband subscriber numbers, as well as a general curve addressing growth in the rest of the world.
"While our current projections for the end of this decade fall just short of the 1 billion milestone, there is still a good chance of reaching that figure if investment plans in some markets are enhanced," Point Topic said in a statement.
The company produces forecasts based on individual growth calculations for 114 countries, which are supplemented by combined calculations for remaining countries and territories.
Broadband connectivity is set to surge across the world as developing markets introduce faster and more stable internet connections. Research carried out last year by Akamai Technologies showed the internet’s global average connection speed growing by 10% in just three months in the third quarter of 2013, demonstrating the rapid pace of improvement.
Last week, a report from research firm Strategy Analytics predicted that the number of global mobile broadband connections will hit 418 million by the end of 2018, spurred on by major growth in developing markets as device adoption rates rise.
