IPTV subscribers grew by 3.8 million in the first quarter of 2012 to a global figure of over 65.6 million, with China increasing its lead in both numbers and growth rates, according to Point Topic.
Broadband has passed another major milestone, according to the latest figures published by the Broadband Forum and prepared by broadband industry analysts Point Topic. The global total of broadband subscribers soared to over 600 million in the first quarter of 2012, indicating a further acceleration in growth as over 100 million new lines were added (20% of the total) in less than 18 months.
Globally, the growth in broadband during Q1 of 2012 was estimated at 16,118,210 lines, up from just over 14 million in the last quarter of 2011. This represents a quarterly rise of 2.7% and an annual increase of 11.48%. Announced during CommunicAsia in Singapore, the figures also highlight again the dominant position of Asia, led in both broadband and in IPTV by China.
“This is another significant milestone in an exciting arena that shows no sign of slowing down,” commented Robin Mersh, CEO of the Broadband Forum. “It is just 18 months since we celebrated the 500 million subscriber watershed and even less time since IPTV subscribers reached 50 million – yet in both cases growth is still accelerating. It is especially rewarding to be making this announcement in Asia, which has contributed so much to fuelling this phenomenal success.”
Asia continues to be the biggest overall region with 262,080,147 subscribers in total, having added 8,575,397 new lines at a growth rate of 3.38% in the quarter and 15.19% in the year.
IPTV, the most demanding application for high speed broadband, now has 65.6 million subscribers, up 3.8 million in the quarter. The Asian market is advancing the fastest with the strong leader- China added over three times as many IPTV subscribers in the quarter as any other country. This gap is likely to increase even further though both France and the US are reporting strong numbers and accelerated growth in the report period.
