The Broadband Forum and Point Topic report that the world added 17.4 Million new broadband ISP lines during Q3-2011, which has taken the global total to 581.3 Million. The strong quarterly growth of 3.08% (12.89% annually) means that more subscribers were added in Q3-2011 than at any time since early 2009.

The largest broadband region in the world is Asia (246,064,195 - 42.34% market share), fuelled by growth in China, and is followed by a distant Europe (173,268,468 - 29.81%). The Americas (North and South) account for the third largest market (144,526,008 - 24.87%), while the Middle East and Africa hold a very distant fourth (17,350,008 - 2.98%).



Indeed superfast fibre optic ( FTTx / FTTH ) based broadband lines are growing fast (8% overall) and "gaining ground on more traditional technologies," said the report. By comparison cable ( Virgin Media ) services grew by 2.2% and traditional DSL ( ADSL , ADSL2+ ) increased by 2%. As a result the market shares are starting to shift, with fibre services reaching a combined total of 16% (up from 14.74% in Q2).

Broadband Technology by Market Share
61.5% - DSL
19.5% - Cable Modem
13.5% - FTTx ( FTTC / VDSL2 )
2.5% - FTTH
1.8% - Satellite/Mobile
1.3% - Other

Meanwhile the UK retains its place as the world's 6th largest market for broadband lines with a total subscriber base of 20,440,200, although rapid growth in Russia is threatening that. China is of course still the top dog.


One result of the ever improving broadband infrastructure and speed has been a boom in IPTV (internet based television) services. IPTV subscribers grew by 6.06% in the third quarter of 2011 and now total 54.4 million globally. Europe is the biggest market for IPTV (43.26%), followed by Asia (38.84%) and the Americas (17.39%). The Middle East and Africa barely register at 0.5%.