23 September 2005

Europe is leading the way in the broadband boom with over 47.5 million subscribers in the EU, according to a new report.

This means the EU has over a quarter of the total number of broadband subscribers in the world and DSL Forum and PointTopic's research has revealed that more British households now have broadband than their counterparts in the US.

Broadband connections are also on the up in other parts of the world, with India gaining almost 100,000 new DSL subscribers in the first half of 2005.

With a growth rate of 77 per cent, India has one of highest DSL broadband connection uptakes in South East Asia.

Uptake in the US, however, is slowing, as a recent report suggests the market is maturing.

Researchers at think-tank the Pew Internet & American Life Project, have suggested that after a boom in uptake, the US market is changing and the supply of new broadband customers is dwindling

"The low-hanging fruit of early adopters is gone," said John Horrigan, director of research at Pew.

And the remaining dial-up population seems unenthused in terms of the Internet, so mathematically, that makes for a smaller fruitful pool for providers to select from."

© Adfero Ltd

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