US VoIP traffic could be boosted by growth in broadband subscriptions

VoIP traffic in the US could be set to rise as more internet users make the switch to broadband.

The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Economics and Statistics Administration have found that 63.5 per cent of households had a broadband subscription in 2009.

This is a sevenfold increase on the 2001 figures, which revealed that just 9.2 per cent of the US population had access to broadband.

The growing prevalence of broadband in the US could see more internet users upgrade to a low-cost VoIP service.

The report also revealed a racial divide between broadband subscribers, with non-Hispanic white Americans and Asian-Americans more likely to have a high-speed internet connection than African-Americans and Hispanics.

"The digital divide is an opportunity divide - if you can't get online, you can't compete in the digital economy," said Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski.

"Connecting America to fast, affordable internet will create 21st century jobs that grow our economy and secure our global leadership."