Broadband subs up 40 million worldwide

40 million new broadband subscribers in 2013 took total broadband lines to almost 679 million worldwide, according to figures published by Broadband Forum.

Year-end figures for broadband and IPTV show a slow but steady growth in broadband subscribers, which were up 6.15% in 2013 – however, this also indicates that some older markets are near saturation point.

In the same period IPTV subscribers neared the 100 million threshold with 21% growth and 17 million new subs.

In terms of regional growth, China remains at the top with over 192 million broadband subscribers at the end of 2013 – adding over three million in Q4 alone – followed by the US (95.2 million) and Japan (35.8 million).

The UK currently has just under 22.8 million broadband subscribers – just behind France, and ahead of Brazil and South Korea.

“The figures for 2013 give an extremely interesting picture both regionally and in terms of change in technology choices as some markets reach saturation and others start their digital journey,” said Robin Mesh, CEO of Broadband Forum.

“They are a great illustration of the ‘second age of broadband access,’ with existing customers demanding more bandwidth and operators introducing new technologies.”