The worldwide fixed broadband market is continue to growth, and Asia in particular is expected to grow faster than other regions, generating service revenue of $92.2 billion in 2017, according to a new report by ABI Research.
The number of fixed broadband subscribers worldwide reached 586.7 million in the first quarter of 2012, generating service revenue of $47.7 billion, due to a strong demand for high-speed broadband access resulting from the increased adoption of online apps and services via internet-connected devices, such as TVs and tablets.
The fiber broadband market is witnessing the fastest adoption as broadband operators continue to boost fiber broadband deployments to satisfy the speed demand, the research firm said.
Asia Pacific alone had added nearly 7 million subscribers, most notably by net subscribers additions in China, said Khin Sandi Lynn, research analyst for broadband at ABI Research.
China is aggressively upgrading its broadband infrastructure with optical fiber. The Chinese government allocated 80% of its $303 billion infrastructure investment for broadband development.
China Telecom plans to hit 100 million fiber broadband subscribers by the end of 2015. The company is accelerating cloud computing and other Internet applications to speed up broadband adoption.
India is the next country trying to boost broadband adoption in the Asia-Pacific with a government aim to achieve 175 million broadband subscribers by 2017. Although the target seems aggressive, the ongoing cable digitalization process, coupled with initiatives such as e-government services in banking, education, and healthcare, will definitely drive broadband uptake in India, Lynn noted.