The total number of broadband subscriptions worldwide will reach 415 million by the end of this year, a new study has suggested.

Published by Strategy Analytics, the Broadband Forecast: 1H 2008 report suggests that such a figure represents a total of more than one billion people with broadband access.

It reports that while DSL broadband is still the dominant player in the market, emergent technologies are beginning to make an impact.

"Fiber and WiMax will increasingly displace traditional broadband access technologies, such as DSL and cable," said Ben Piper, director of the Strategy Analytics Broadband Network Strategies service.

The group forecasts that total revenue from broadband provision will increase from $130 billion (£65.8 billion) in 2008 to £190 billion in 2012.

Furthermore, the report suggests that over the course of the next five years, household penetration rates will reach 35 per cent globally, with Latin America and Asia-Pacific expected to account for half of all broadband subscriptions.

A report published earlier this year by Point Topic indicated that at the end of 2007, Europe accounted for 26.82 per cent of all global broadband subscriptions.