Global DSL Uptake Tops 30 Million

With more than 5 million new DSL subscribers in the third quarter of 2002, one DSL advocacy group contends that copper-based broadband services are proving more popular than cable modem connectivity.

by Patricia Fusco Managing Editor of ISP-Planet [December 16, 2002]

According to a recent study completed by London-based Point-Topic on behalf of the DSL Forum, more than five million new DSL subscribers joined the ranks of broadband users worldwide during the third quarter of this year. That is an average of 1.67 million people signing up for DSL access around the world each month.

According to figures made public by the DSL Forum, there are more than 30.6 million DSL subscribers worldwide (below). DSL subsscriber growth reached 20 percent on the quarter. If DSL uptake continues to grow at this pace there will be more than 36 million homes and businesses using DSL access around the world by the end of 2002.

Bill Rodey, DSL Forum chairman, said half a million people bought into DSL access in the third quarter and there is no indication that subscriber growth is poised to slow down.

"We are on track for 100 percent growth in global subscribers this calendar year, ensuring that DSL widens the gap in the broadband race," Rodey said. "It is clear that we are well on the way to our target of a global mass market of 200 million DSL broadband subscribers in 2005."

The Asia Pacific region continues to lead the way with a 40 percent share of the world's total DSL subscribers. Western Europe has moved into second place with 24.34 percent share, just ahead of North America at 23.84 percent.

The fastest regional growth in DSL uptake on the quarter took place in South and South-East Asia where China currently connects more than two million subscribers, reflecting a 200 percent growth rate.

However, Point-Topic's research indicates that the penetration rate of main phone lines is the key indicator of DSL's success as a broadband platform. Globally, 3.2 percent of the world's main phone lines now carry DSL services (right). In the Asia Pacific region, that figure rises to 8.35 percent, with North America at 3.47 percent and Western Europe close behind at 3.45 percent. With the growth spurt in China, the South and Southeast Asia region has reached a penetration rate of 1.22 percent. But the rest of the world remains at below one percent, leaving the door open for further DSL deployment.

China posted the highest growth rate in DSL uptake in the third quarter attaining a 214 percent increase. Norway posted a close second with a growth rate of 211 percent. But South Korea continues to be the only true mass broadband market with more than six million DSL subscribers, or 26.74 percent of main phone lines. Nearly 40 percent of all Korean households now have DSL broadband service.

The DSL Forum is a consortium of nearly 250 companies representing telecommunications carriers, equipment makers and services providers worldwide. The group was formed to tout the many benefits of DSL access as the preferred method of broadband connectivity.

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