Broadband set for global boom

ADSL set to become dominant technology

More than 46 million people across the world will have fast internet access by the end of the year, says a report.

If this happens, it will mean a jump of 16 million subscribers in a year and the number is set to continue rising, say technology analysts In-Stat.

In its report, In-Stat is upbeat about the outlook for broadband, despite recent US reports which presented a more pessimistic view.

"Broadband access technologies continue to make substantial gains in the marketplace, both in the US and worldwide," says the study.

DIY broadband

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is set to become the dominant technology in the broadband market, says the report.

The technology delivers high-speed internet access over existing phone lines. It has been lauded as the way forward, offering affordable broadband for the mass market.

Broadband growth

30m subscribers in 2001

46m subscribers in 2002

Source: In-Stat

In particular, DIY broadband that does away with installation fees has encouraged more people to get connected at home.

"DSL has absolutely exploded in the international market, especially in the Asia-Pacific region," says the report.

But In-Stat points out that there remain several obstacles, mainly that much of the world's telecommunications infrastructure cannot yet support broadband access technologies.

In the UK, recent price drops have led to a jump in the number of people signing up for broadband.

DSL vs cable

In the US, the common technology used for high-speed internet access is cable modems.

American cable modem subscribers continue to outnumber DSL subscribers by a wide margin.

At the beginning of 2002, there were 7.12 million US cable modem subscribers and only 4.6 million DSL subscribers

Other ways of getting broadband, such as via satellite or wireless make up just 5% of the market.