The number of households in the United States with access to broadband speeds of 10mpbs or higher will rise to 33 million over the next four years, new research says.

Industry analyst Park Associates carried out the study, which says broadband speeds capable of streaming high-definition video could be a reality for millions of homes by 2012.

The organisation predicts that market growth will be driven by advances in broadband technology and an ever-increasing selection of broadband entertainment.

However, it warns that as customers become used to higher bandwidths, service providers will have to deliver "value-added" services that maximise the new speeds to retain customers and increase their average revenue per user.

According to the report, at the end of 2007, 5.7 million households - or nine per cent of homes in the United States with broadband access - had access to speeds of at least 10 mbps.

A recent study by Broadband Expert found the average connection speed for UK households was 2.95mbps.