Broadband connections to hit half a billion

Broadband subscriptions worldwide will rise to half a billion over the next year, Informa Telecoms & Media has said.

Fixed broadband access is now almost universal in the UK and the world's other most affluent countries, according to the communications research company.

The total of new fixed broadband subscriptions will grow from over 480 million last year to 500 million this year, Rob Gallagher, principal analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media, said.

The continued spread of fixed broadband could potentially see more households and businesses taking up IP telephony solutions such as VoIP solutions.

At over 18 million, the UK has the sixth highest number of fixed broadband subscriptions in the world, underlining the possibility for VoIP hardware distribution in the country.

Informa Telecoms & Media also recently forecast that mobile service takings will top £620 billion in 2010, in spite of returns from voice calls dropping.

Mark Newman, chief research officer at Informa Telecoms & Media, said: "Growth in data revenues is being spurred by the rise in take-up of more advanced technologies and mobile broadband services."

Business advisory firm Deloitte recently predicted that use of mobile VoIP will become increasingly common this year.