The Broadband Forum has published the latest broadband and IPTV statistics, which show impressive growth in the face of the global economic downturn. Its report, prepared for the Forum by industry analysts Point Topic, shows that global broadband grew by 16.6 million lines in the first quarter 2009 alone, while IPTV subscribers approach 24 million, with expansion mainly in Europe and also North America.

Europe headed the continued IPTV success story with almost 10 percent growth over the last quarter and a 56.2 per cent year-on-year improvement. Eastern Europe is aggressively rolling out IPTV with new services across the region, including in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Russia.

“Growth is high in Eastern Europe because IPTV take up is still relatively low when compared to other regions such as North America and Asia Pacific,” said John Bonsell, a Senior Analyst with Point Topic. “This is good news for operators and subscribers, because there is plenty of potential for growth coupled with a wide range of IPTV services, so cost should remain low.”

In terms of technology, DSL continues to be the most popular broadband access technology, although fibre grew by more than three million lines to reflect a 12.4 per cent share of the market, while wireless showed a healthy proportionate increase over one million lines to a total of 5.58 million.

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