The global broadband subscriber base grew 3.1% last quarter, but much of this growth came from Asia, as growth in Europe slows, according to the Broadband Forum.
There were 484 million broadband lines in operation as of the end of the quarter, Broadband Forum said, up 12.4% on 1Q09, however the bulk of the growth came from Asia, which accounted for 53% of lines added during the year.
China drove the Asia Pacific figures up, accounting for 45% of global net adds during Q1.
It was one of six countries in the Broadband Forum’s top ten listing to grow faster in 1Q than 4Q09. Germany and the UK held up Europe’s side, with Germany ending the quarter with 25.9 million broadband subscribers, and the UK 18.7 million.
France and Italy – the other European countries in the top ten – had 19.2 million and 13.5 million broadband users respectively at March 31.
DSL remains the dominant broadband access technology, accounting for 64% of global connections by end 1Q10, despite the rapid growth of cable and fiber alternatives.
Cable connections accounted for 20% of broadband access by end 1Q, with Fiber taking a 13% share, wireless 2%, and satellite 1%, the Forum states.
Robin Mersh COO of the Broadband Forum was happy with the global progress of broadband, but expects “major government initiatives,” to fuel faster growth “in the coming years.”
IPTV subscriptions hit 36.3 million in 1Q10, up 11.4 million on 1Q09. Europe remains the dominant market for IPTV, accounting for a little under 50% of global subscriptions by end 1Q, but Asia is catching up, adding 1.2 million customers during the quarter to give the region a 32% share of the global market.