According to Point Topic, " World broadband lines reached 164m as of 31 March 2005, an increase of 52m lines since March 2004 last year - with 28m lines added in the last 6 months alone. The USA is still the world's largest broadband country with 36.5m lines, and China remains in second place with 28.3m lines. The UK is leading growth in the 'G7 Rankings' achieving a 16.5 percent increase in lines since end-2004, and adding over 1m lines in the process. France was the only other G7 country passing 10 percent growth in the quarter - achieving 13.5 percent growth and adding an equally impressive 913,000 lines in the quarter. 'Top 10' growth is dominated by Eastern Europe and a mixture of Latin American and Asia Pacific countries. Turkey led the rankings overall, achieving 37 percent growth in the quarter, adding 179,000 lines. Poland led the Eastern European countries, achieving 24 percent growth and becoming the first Eastern European country to pass 1m lines. Australia continued to impress, achieving 18 percent growth to reach 1.8m lines in the quarter. In South Korea, the broadband market continues its path to saturation, having achieved only 1.4 percent growth in the quarter. Other countries, especially the established 'early adopters' such Taiwan and even Japan are showing modest growth - less than 5 percent in the quarter."
Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformational force, reshaping business processes and unlocking new possibilities for efficiency and innovation in corporate finance. The latest Gartner survey on AI usage in finance provides evidence of this emerging trend, offering valuable insights into the future growth trajectory of AI in finance. The Gartner survey reveals a significant milestone. As of 2024, 58 percent of finance functions actively use AI technology -- that's a substantial increase from previous years. Artificial Intelligence Market Development Perhaps even more telling is the projection that by 2026 more than 80 percent of finance functions are expected to be leveraging AI solutions. The survey sheds light on the use cases of AI in finance: AI is being deployed to enhance forecasting accuracy and provide deeper insights into financial trends. Automation of routine tasks and improved accuracy in financial reporting are key benefits observed. AI algorithms are