Broadband Growth Booms Worldwide: Report

The worldwide broadband Internet boom continued in the third quarter of last year, with the Middle East and Africa posting double-digit growth figures, according to new quarterly broadband adoption statistics released yesterday by Research and Markets.

Noting the importance of new communications technologies to developing economies, Research in Markets found that the Middle East and Africa was the broadband growth leader in Q3 2004 at 11.06% and more than one million subscribers. The North American market had the second highest growth rate at 9.85%, reaching 41.76 million subscribers, with Europe third at 9.22% and 32.8 million subscribers. Asia, the world's largest broadband market with 53 million subscribers, posted a relatively slack 8.46% growth for the quarter.

According to Research in Markets, broadband is hottest in the home, with 90% of subscribers being residential. Representing the vast majority of broadband users, the number of residential subscribers worldwide rose 9.24% over the previous quarter to 115.36 million worldwide. The third quarter residential growth rate was almost three points higher than in the previous quarter.

DSL was the broadband technology of choice for 7.8 million customers worldwide " 72% of new broadband subscribers. Only 2.5 million new users, or 23% of broadband customers, subscribed to cable Internet services, while 5% chose other broadband technologies.