Broadband passes 600m subscriber mark

Broadband has passed another major milestone, according to the latest figures published by the Broadband Forum and prepared by broadband industry analyst Point Topic, Yahoo News reports.

The global total of broadband subscribers soared to over 600 million in the first quarter of 2012, indicating a further acceleration in growth as over 100 million new lines were added (20% of the total) in less than 18 months.

Globally, the growth in broadband during Q1 of 2012 was estimated at 16 118 210 lines, up from just over 14 million in the last quarter of 2011. This represents a quarterly rise of 2.7% and an annual increase of 11.48%. Announced during CommunicAsia, in Singapore, the figures also highlight again the dominant position of Asia, led in both broadband and IPTV by China.

Bernama.com reports that Asia continues to be the biggest overall region, with 262 080 147 subscribers in total, having added 8 575 397 new lines at a growth rate of 3.38% in the quarter and 15.19% in the year.

Few changes have emerged in the Top 20 Broadband Country Rankings; however, Russia, Brazil and India continue to show above-average growth rates, both in the quarter and annually, with Ukraine and Turkey also showing high growth. China can celebrate the highest number of new subscribers with annual growth of 26.4 million (19.17% annual growth rate).

According to African Business Review, IPTV, the most demanding application for high-speed broadband, now has 65.6 million subscribers, up 3.8 million in the quarter. The Asian market is advancing the fastest with the strong leader - China added over three times as many IPTV subscribers in the quarter than any other country. This gap is likely to increase even further, though both France and the US are reporting strong numbers and accelerated growth in the reported period.