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Worldwide Broadband Subscription Forecast

The days of dial-up are diminishing rapidly as demand for faster Internet access explodes. According to IDC, worldwide broadband subscriptions will nearly double in five years, expanding from a little more than 205 million in 2005 to nearly 400 million in 2010. Increased end-user choice, monthly price cuts, and the proliferation of broadband-enabled applications and services are a few of the factors driving broadband growth.

"Consumer demand for broadband remains strong, with three out of four global online households connecting to the Internet via broadband in 2010," said Amy Harris Lind, program manager, Consumer Broadband Markets. "However, as competition intensifies and new subscriber growth begins to lag, providers will need to focus on bundling, tiering, and promoting applications that take advantage of broadband's faster speeds to differentiate their broadband offerings, increase average revenue per user, and reduce customer churn."

Key findings of the study include:

- Worldwide broadband services revenue will reach $122.4 billion in 2010.
- DSL remains the leading installed broadband technology globally, accounting for 67 percent of subscriptions in 2010.
- In 2005, broadband finally surpassed narrowband as the primary method online households utilized to connect to the Internet.

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