30 March 2007
Research from web and IT information group Point Topic has revealed that the number of Britons now subscribing to broadband packages has hit 13 million.
This reflects a worldwide trend which has seen a boom in the number of high speed internet connections being set up in domestic surroundings, as well as in the workplace.
Increasing broadband uptake by 33%, the UK's new user figure was slightly higher than the world average, which saw the number of new subscribers rise by 30%.
Despite this, the UK is lagging behind in the new subscriber stakes, with India being crowned the fastest growing broadband region, followed closely by Turkey which saw an 88% increase in the last twelve months.
Point Topic highlighted the fact that one of the driving forces behind the continued increase in people signing up to broadband services was the introduction of internet protocol TV.
According to the data firm, watching TV programmes over the internet requires at least 3Mbps bandwidth in order to deliver seamless services.
The arrival of HDTV is also expected to lead to an increase in the number of broadband subscriptions, as this service can require up to 8Mbps of bandwidth - making conventional ADSL services unlikely to be able to accommodate this bandwidth-hungry service.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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