UK Broadband Net Penetration To Hit 40% By 2008, Says Strategy Analytics
The number of UK homes subscribing to a high speed, broadband internet service is set to reach 10.6 million, or 37.9% penetration, by 2008, according to new forecasts from Strategy Analytics.
The report shows that 1.3 million customers signed up for broadband in 2002, marking an increase of more than 350% on 2001. The cable and DSL platforms are currently neck and neck, each with around 800,000 subscribers.
Strategy Analytics is forecasting that a further 1.3 million homes will sign on to broadband services during 2003, bringing the penetration level to 11.0%. ADSL services will add around 680,000 subscribers this year, slightly ahead of cable at 630,000.
By 2008, the analysts predict that 37.9% of UK households will subscribe to a broadband service; 65% of users will use an xDSL service and 31% will use cable. The remainder will be divided between emerging technologies, such as satellite and fibre-to-the-home (FTTH).
| UK Broadband Internet Subscriber Forecasts | ||||||||
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| Subscribers (millions) | 0.3 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 6.9 | 8.6 | 10.6 |
| Household penetration | 1.3% | 6.1% | 11.0% | 15.7% | 20.3% | 25.2% | 31.1% | 37.9% |
| Source: Strategy Analytics, February 2003 | ||||||||
“Britain has finally caught the broadband bug,” says Peter King, director of Global Broadband Practice at Strategy Analytics. “Intense competition between BT and the cable operators will continue to drive growth over the coming years.”