A new report by consultancy firm Telegeography Research shows that the Internet is growing at a much slower pace than it has in recent years. The report estimated that the amount of Internet traffic on backbone cables between countries would grow by about 49 percent this year, compared to 104 percent growth last year. Telegeography attributed the slowing pace mostly to a global slowdown in the numbers of people signing up for high-speed Internet services. The consultancy firm also said that the Internet was maturing, in the sense that the number of people going online for the first time is slowing, while those already online are using the Internet as much as they are likely to. A stabilization in prices for Internet backbone access has also contributed to the drop-off, Telegeography said.