Western broadband growth healthy
June 12, 2009
Against the backdrop of a maturing broadband market and a challenging economic environment, Western European broadband is in relatively good health, according to a report published by analyst firm Strategy Analytics.
Sixty-one per cent of Western European households had broadband connectivity in their homes at the end of 2008; this number will grow to exceed 80 per cent by 2013, according to the report. The majority of these connections are through DSL technology, though given the ambitious fibre roll-outs in the region, Strategy Analytics foresees the Fibre (FTTx) share of connections growing to 9 per cent by 2013.
"The excitement in the Western European market today is clearly about Fibre," said Ben Piper, Director of the Strategy Analytics Multiplay Market Dynamics Service. "As France, Germany, and other countries position themselves for major fibre roll-outs, we are forecasting the total number of FTTx connections in Western Europe to grow by 47 per cent in the next five years."