Fixed Broadband to Grow with Great Demand, Says Research and Markets

Research and Markets has announced the addition of "2008 Global
Broadband Market - Demand for Faster Networks"
to their offering.

The primary driver behind users upgrading to broadband is simple -
users want fast Internet connections. And as the popularity of Web 2.0
applications continues to grow, this demand will in turn continue to
build. The opportunities high-speed services present are becoming
apparent and Internet users are increasingly tiring of the problems and
slow speeds associated with dial-up services. In 2008 broadband
subscribers now account for roughly 30% of all worldwide Internet
subscribers.

Broadband and high-speed wireless penetrations will continue to
increase, as will the growth of new applications that could exploit
these higher speeds. Internet access is just one of many services that
will be delivered over broadband infrastructure. Far more importantly,
other services that depend on high quality broadband infrastructure
include e-health, e-education, e-business, digital media, e-government,
smart utility meter reading, etc. In countries where the national telco
is lagging behind, local governments have no other choice than to take a
leadership role - just as they have done with similar infrastructure
over the last 100 years.

Key highlights:

In early 2008 there were over 350 million broadband subscribers
worldwide.
During 2008 to 2013, worldwide fixed broadband services revenues are
expected to grow by between 8-13%.
Worldwide satellite broadband service revenues are also expected to
grow on average around 8% in the coming years.
DSL subscribers are expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 13%
through to 2011.
Broadband is seen as being vital to both the economy and the
community. BuddeComm estimates that it will add over $100 billon to
the Australian economy.
In New Zealand Telecom's cabinetisation plan
will see the incumbent replace 2,000 local exchanges when they roll
out their FttN network. This could potentially make ULL investments in
DSLAMs obsolete.
As with the past decade, the coming decade will witness the Internet,
underpinned by broadband, having dramatic impacts on the lives of
North Americans.
Eight new international submarine fibre projects are planned around
Africa and expected to go online in 2008 and 2009.
3G mobile networks in South Africa are being upgraded to 7.2Mb/s and
surpassing ADSL subscriber numbers. For more information, see chapter
5.4.1, page 123.
The broadband market in Latin America has been growing steadily in
most countries, and there is considerable room for expansion. Although
the situation varies considerably from country to country, the region
as a whole is a fertile ground for broadband investment

This annual report offers a wealth of information on the worldwide
development of the broadband sector. Information at a regional level is
also provided for the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia
Pacific. The report includes analyses, statistics, forecasts and trends.
It provides a comprehensive insight into the progress of broadband and
examines the key issues and opportunities.

Subjects covered include:

High level analyses of the broadband market and its importance as
essential infrastructure;
Broadband statistics including current and historical subscribers,
regional subscribers and penetration;
Average broadband costs and speeds; Internet usage and penetration
statistics;
Broadband statistics by country;
Analysis of broadband trends and infrastructure;
Cable modem infrastructure including statistics;
DSL infrastructure including statistics;
FTTx infrastructure including statistics;
BPL infrastructure including statistics;
Satellite broadband infrastructure including statistics;
Regional information including statistics.

Broadband is clearly established as one of the fastest growing new
technologies in history. While DSL is the most effective and economical
route to global broadband deployment, the emphasis of the next phase of
broadband is on increasing speeds which via ADSL2+ and VDSL is leading
to FttH.

Globally the installed base and market share of FTTx technologies is
continuing to increase and there are now over 35 million subscribers
worldwide. FTTx captures almost 11% of the market share of broadband
technologies - although DSL is still easily
the leader with around 66%. In 2008 Japan still leads the world in terms
of FttH connections and the USA and South Korea continue to rapidly roll
out. Europe still lagged behind Asia and the USA in 2007 but this gap is
expected to close sharply in 2008. .

Satellite broadband first turned a corner around 2005 and today there is
further evidence of growing success in this sector. Services from
WildBlue and Hughes now reach thousands of customers in North America.
ViaSat and Eutelsat are also expected to launch Ka-band satellite
services across Europe and North America; significantly increasing the
potential of satellite broadband in these markets.

The market for BPL also remains positive, despite the several obstacles
that continue to hinder the industry. A solid growth is expected for
this sector in 2008. For several years the lack of an international
standard has held the industry back, but there is progress in this area
- in late 2007 a joint IEEE standards proposal was submitted by the
HomePlug Powerline Alliance and Panasonic. IPTV over BPL is becoming a
competitive technology for carrying HDTV signals into the home and BPL
also offers benefits in home networking due to its ubiquity.

However, with mainly low-risk-taking utilities involved in this market,
they have become unwilling to take-on the telcos in the broadband
market. Instead they are more interested in using BPL for smart grid
applications and Demand Side Management services, such as switching on
and switching off facilities for appliances, meter-reading, etc. This
demand is expected to increase as pressure to reduce energy consumption
intensifies worldwide. For more information, see chapter 4.4, page 84.

This report provides an insight and analysis into the trends and
developments taking place primarily in the fixed broadband sector.
Wireless broadband is covered in detail in a separate annual
publication. The report comprises a global overview of the progress of
broadband technologies and subscribers, including DSL and FttH. The
report includes detailed information on broadband infrastructure
including cable modems, xDSL, FTTx, BPL and satellite broadband.
Developments and statistics at a regional level are also provided for
North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia
Pacific. The report contains BuddeComm's
analyses of the current and future broadband sector.

Data in this report is the latest available at the time of preparation
and may not be for the current year.

For more information, visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c88708