High-speed internet access is expanding rapidly, with a record 18.3 million households across 16 European countries hooking up to broadband during 2005. This represents an almost 3 million increase in new subscriber numbers compared to 2004, when 15.4 million made the move to broadband.
Strategy Analytics, the technology research firm who released the figures, puts the breakneck speed of growth in this sector down to falling prices, increased competition between providers, and the offering of competitive bundles of services such as broadband, telephone and IPTV (broadband-accessed television).
In Germany, one of Europe’s largest markets, local loop unbundling (LLU) has stimulated intense DSL rivalry. And here in the UK, another big player in the broadband league, a surge of new providers has upped competition.
Strong growth patterns look set to continue, with Strategy Analytics forecasting that by the end of 2006 another 16 million households will have broadband. The growth will bring the total number of European homes subscribing to broadband to 73.2 million.
By the end of the decade 108 million households will have joined the broadband revolution, equating to 63% of the European population.
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