A quarter of the world's households will have a broadband connection by 2012, according to a new survey.

Recent figures suggest that 323 million - or 18 per cent - of homes across the globe are now enjoying the benefits of a broadband connection.

The latest study from analyst Gartner predicts that this will rise to 25 per cent by 2012, representing a total of 499 million addresses.

Amanda Sabia, Gartner's principal analyst, believes that geographically bigger markets will see the biggest increase.

Meanwhile, according to a special report on global entertainment and media from PricewaterhouseCoopers, increased spending in the industry is down to the growing availability of wired and wireless broadband in driving spending, reports Zawya.

Advertising on the net saw an unprecedented growth of 33.2 per cent in 2007 and is expected to see growth through to 2012.