The UK broadband market looked very different in terms of its technology base headline at the end of March 2017 than it did just three months earlier at the end of 2016. Having been dominated by DSL infrastructure, the country now has more subscribers to broadband services supplied over Docsis 3.0 cable modem and fibre-based networks.

Quarterly statistics for the end of March 2017 from Point Topic show that active DSL lines fell under 13 million for the first time as the technology continues its decline. Meanwhile customers using the cable modems of Virgin Media and WightFibre, the country’s only independent cable-based operator, passed the five million mark in Q1 2017.

FTTC and FTTP lines are estimated at 7,860,000 including those belonging to service providers using the Openreach network, Kingston upon Hull’s incumbent KCOM, and alternative network operators. With DSL lines at 12,812,000 and a combined cable modem and FTTx base of 12,861,900 lines, the days of DSL technology are surely numbered.

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