Worldwide fixed broadband subscribers increased by 48 million in the fourth quarter of 2010 and reached 503 million at the end of 2010, according to a new report by ABI Research.
Fiber broadband is used in advanced applications including: IPTV, video conferencing, education and health care, which is expected to result in increasing fiber broadband subscribers to 71 million at the end of 2011.
The market research firm said that the increasing penetration of IPTV and online video services is among the factors which boost the growth in subscriptions; and the network upgrades and offers by the operators of multimedia services over broadband network will accelerate the growing number of subscribers adopting higher broadband speeds.
The report revealed that South Korea, Hong Kong and France are among the countries and regions with the highest fixed broadband penetration.
However, in countries with high broadband penetration, broadband operators are trying to gain market share by competitive speed and price offers, resulting in drop in broadband subscription fees.
Further, broadband subscribers are increasingly using higher speeds to offer more advanced services and in order to meet the demand for higher speeds operators are upgrading their broadband networks.
ABI Research said that the UK’s national broadband operator, British Telecom, has plans to roll out fiber-to-the cabinet (FTTC) technology in 41 towns by spring next year, which will enable households in those areas to get broadband access at up to 40Mbps.
