20 November 2008
There are now 400 million broadband users around the globe, according to a new report by the analyst firm Point Topic.
It found that the number of people using broadband worldwide has increased by more than 600,000% over the last ten years - from just 57,200 in 1998.
Oliver Johnson, a senior analyst at Point Topic, said broadband internet was still mostly in the technical stage a decade ago.
"Getting to 400 million subscribers in the ten years since then has been one of the fastest rollouts of a major new technology the world has ever seen," he remarked.
Today, the focus is set to shift from boosting broadband take-up to enhancing service quality, Mr Johnson added, insisting a "new era" in the history of broadband is beginning.
Tom Stewart, the joint managing director of System Concepts, suggested recently that broadband internet has radically altered the way in which people seek information.