UK Becomes A High Speed Haven For Internet Users

The UK is the world’s ninth largest broadband country, according to new research out this week.

The research firm Point Topic calculates that as at 30 September 2003 there were 1.4 million DSL and 1.2 million cable broadband lines in UK homes and businesses. The number of lines increased by more than 20% in the third quarter of the year.

It is calculated that as at 30 September 2003 there were 2.65 million installed lines in UK homes and businesses. The number of lines increased by more than 20% in the third quarter of the year and it is estimated that there are now more than 3 million connections nationwide.

Point Topic claims that the number of broadband lines worldwide reached 100 million before the end of 2003. The company states that broadband is “clearly established as one of the fastest growing new technologies in history.”

It illustrates this point by noting that it has taken broadband just three-and-a-half years to grow from 10 million lines to 100 million lines. The mobile phone industry took five-and-a-half years to achieve the same feat. The United States is the major player in numerical terms with almost 23 million broadband lines as at end-September 2003.

Falling prices have been a key factor in helping to drive take-up. The major DSL operators cut their prices by 25% on average in the year to September 2003. These reductions in addition to increased coverage and greater financial strength mean that DSL is showing bigger percentage increases than cable in most countries.

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