Between 2006 and 2010, the number of broadband-enabled small-to-medium-sized businesses in Southeast Asia will increase by over 850,000, a report from research firm AMI-Partners said.
Emerging countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam will fuel this growth, with adoption by SMBs in these countries comprising over 55% of overall broadband SMBs in the region, the report also said.
Spending on broadband by these SMBs will exceed $2 billion by 2010, with Indonesia contributing in the lion's share of spending, it added.
'Within the Southeast Asia region, Singapore stands out from the rest of its neighbors with its impressive broadband penetration rates which is forecasted to exceed 75% by 2010,' said Cindy Sim, a Singapore-based analyst for AMI-Partners.
'This growth will be spurred by continued positive government intervention, dropping access prices, growing exposure to the Internet Web and increasing importance and necessity of the Internet to SMBs in terms of brand establishment, e-commerce and communication with suppliers and customers.
Malaysia and Thailand were ranked second and third in terms of SMB broadband penetration in 2005, and will continue to retain their respective positions in 2010, the research firm also said.