Research Shows Worldwide DSL Growth

A quarter on quarter comparison shows that growth actually fell from 17.3% to 15.3% but this was attributed to seasonal factors and even so, the installed base has grown by 90% in the twelve months to March 2003.

In regional terms, Asia-Pacific countinues to hold sway with a 40% share of the market. However, Europe is gaining ground with the number of DSL lines up by almost 2,000 in the first three months of 2003. The UK led the way among major countries with total lines up by 45% to almost 800,000.

DSL growth was less marked in the mature broadband markets of North America (6.7%) but China has emerged as a potential powerhouse and the number of lines in South and East Asia increased by almost a third in Q1.

Japan has now taken over from South Korea as the world’s leading DSL market with more than 7 million lines. The US has also surpassed Korea but it should be acknowledged that the republic has by far the highest penetration rate with almost 30% of its population having access to DSL broadband services.

The next generation of broadband has now arrived in the Far East in the shape of Very-high-speed DSL (VDSL), which has already attracted over 500,000 subscribers in South Korea.