Global Broadband to Hit 1 Billion by 2013
January 28th, 2010
Portia Krebs
With a National Broadband Plan underway, there’s much talk today about broadband adoption. Now, a new report released by In-Stat shows consumers are continually and rapidly embracing the high-speed Internet.
According to the study, an average of 8.8 million people worldwide subscribed to broadband each month in 2009, resulting in 578 million worldwide broadband subscribers by December 2009. That’s 99 million new broadband subscribers compared with the end of 2008. Given this pace, In-Stat projects global broadband subscribers will exceed 1 billion by 2013. Furthermore, In-Stat’s research indicates that households with multiple broadband connections are expected to multiply in the coming years, featuring a mix of wired broadband technology and mobile wireless connections.
What’s fueling this trend? The rise in online video viewing, music downloads, and other high-bandwidth applications are contributing to the global demand for broadband. The increased use of smartphones and other mobile broadband applications is also a contributing factor. Additionally, as the high-speed Internet becomes increasingly ubiquitous, more people are realizing and seizing broadband’s benefits – from real-time communication to employment opportunities, cutting-edge health care technologies, and more.
Along similar lines, a study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project documents the growth of home broadband Internet connections – which rose 15% from 2008 to 2009. Interestingly, several populations considered slow broadband adopters saw the largest growth. For example, high-speed Internet subscriptions among seniors increased from 19% in 2008 to 30% in 2009. Meanwhile, broadband adoption among low-income Americans with annual household incomes below $30,000 jumped 34% between 2008 and 2009. And rural adoption rates jumped nearly 10 percentage points during the same period.
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