Demand for broadband set to soar

Subscriber levels for broadband services across the globe will rise by almost 50 per cent over the next five years, according to a new study.

Research by Strategy Analytics claims that the number of people signed up for broadband will reach 415 million by the end of 2008 before rocketing to 621 million by 2012.

Strong demand in the Latin America and Asia Pacific markets is expected to drive this global expansion, with the two regions expected to account for half of worldwide subscribers by the end of this period.

This growth will push annual broadband service revenues to $190 billion by 2012, up from the $130 billion forecast this year.

Ben Piper, director of the Strategy Analytics Broadband Network Strategies service, claimed that new technologies will be adopted as part of this trend.

"Fibre and WiMax will increasingly displace traditional broadband access technologies, such as DSL and cable.

"This phenomenon is punctuated by the Asia Pacific region, where WiMax is expected to grow from 4.8 million subscriptions in 2008 to 23 million by 2012."