Regions of the world underserved by broadband access could turn to satellite broadband, figures from a new report suggest.

Research Markets has published a report entitled 'Broadband via Satellite - Europe & North Africa Outlook for the Residential Market (2nd Edition)'.

It highlights areas of the world that are struggling for broadband access and indicates that for many communities, mobile broadband could be the answer.

According to the author, satellite broadband has the ability to reach households when conventional forms of connectivity are hard to come by.

"After having emerged in North America and Asia, satellite broadband in the Ka band was introduced in Europe in mid-2007 and has since proven a popular solution for several European telecom operators looking to cover the several thousand customers still cut off from the digital world," the report says.

Last year there were an estimated 30 million households in Europe and North Africa that could not access terrestrial broadband.