Broadband Growth Continues, Even in Developed OECD Countries
The number of broadband subscriptions worldwide grew to 137 million for the first 6 months of 2005, according to a new report issued by the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) Thurs. The report, which OECD releases every 6 months to cover the growth and changes in the broadband industry, also found that penetration grew 15% to about 11.8 subscribers per 100 inhabitants. The report found that not only are raw penetration numbers growing but, unsurprisingly, providers are increasingly offering voice and video over broadband services, and speeds are increasing at a rapid clip.
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OECD member countries added 18 million broadband users between Jan. and June of this year, the report said, and saw an increase of over 1.5 percentage points in terms of per-capita penetration. Those numbers indicate a steady rate of growth from one year earlier, when 83.3 million people, only 7.3% of the OECD population, were broadband subscribers.
Korea remained the leading country for broadband, with 25.5% of its residents connected via broadband; it led last year as well, with 24.9% connectivity. It was followed by the Netherlands, with 22.5% penetration, then Denmark (21.8%), Iceland (21.7%) and Switzerland (20.3%) among the top 5 nations. The U.S. was 16th in per-capita connectivity, the study said, with 14.5 of every 100 residents connected to broadband. Finland led the Netherlands, Norway, Iceland and the U.K. among the fastest per-capita growth nations over the past year, the report said.
DSL is the leading broadband platform worldwide, OECD said, with 28 countries preferring it to cable. Worldwide, 61.2% of all broadband connections are through a DSL connection, while 32% go over a cable modem. The combined technologies of fiber, LAN, satellite and fixed wireless make up the remaining 6.8%, though this “other” category has become a rapidly emerging revenue market. The U.S. and Canada are the only countries with more cable modem than DSL subscribers, the report said.