China now biggest broadband user

China now has more broadband lines than the USA, making it the biggest broadband user in the world, according to research.

Analysis by Point Topic found that while both countries had roughly 78 million lines at the end of August, China was growing at double the rate of the USA.

Oliver Johnson, Point Topic chief executive, believes the news is perhaps more significant than the country's first foray into space.

"This is a major milestone for China. Launching people into space is spectacular, but having the biggest broadband market down here on earth means a lot more for building a modern, hi-tech economy," he said.

The analysis found that broadband growth in the two countries had been running almost parallel for a year and a half, before the trends differed in 2008.

Just 1.1 million new lines were added in America in the second quarter of 2008, down from 3.4 million in the last quarter of 2007, while China saw growth from 3.5 million to five million over the same timeframe.