Super-fast broadband surge expected in the UK
The UK is expected to see a surge in the take-up of super-fast broadband services due to the rollout of new networks, according to Point Topic’s latest report.
The total number of broadband lines in the UK is forecast to rise from 18.37 million at the end of 2009 to 19.79 million at the end of 2010, and reaching 25.1 million by the end of 2014, which is largely attributed to the rollout of Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) and Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) networks.
Point Topic also expects a rise in FTTx lines, similar to the rise of BT’s DSL broadband services in the mid-2000’s.
Tim Johnson, chief analyst at Point Topic, said: “We believe that FTTx will echo the development of DSL in the UK. People with dial-up internet access converted to broadband in their millions in the boom years. We forecast that super-fast broadband will do the same around the middle of this coming decade.”
The report shows that the number of DSL lines increased from 550,000 to 12.3 million between 2003 and 2007.
By 2016, Point Topic predicts that there will be 12 million next-generation FTTx broadband lines, with the majority of users expected to migrate from DSL lines.
Cable is also likely to play a significant role in providing super-fast broadband services, according to the report, although it is expected to show a lower growth rate overall.
Johnson added: “The difference from the noughties is that we think there will be a quicker run-up this time. While it took DSL three years to get from almost nothing to half a million, we expect that FTTx will cover similar ground in only two years.”
The report said this is due to a number of factors, including a greater commitment from BT, experience of broadband, better technology and a more competitive market.