Global fixed broadband connections to reach 990m by 2020


By Nick Wood, Total Telecom

Thursday 22 May 2014


Latest Point Topic forecasts confirm that the world will not quite reach the 1 billion milestone within current decade.



Global fixed broadband connections will reach 989.4 million by 2020, predicted Point Topic on Thursday.

By comparison, the research firm expects the number of fixed broadband connections worldwide to reach approximately 750 million by the end of this year.

In earlier forecasts, Point Topic said the world would hit the 1 billion target by the end of the current decade. However, Point Topic has twice lowered its expectations over the past 12 months, conceding in October that the 1 billion subscriber milestone was looking unlikely.

"While our current projections for the end of this decade fall just short of the 1 billion milestone, there is still a good chance of reaching that figure if investment plans in some markets are enhanced," said Point Topic, in a statement.

Nonetheless, growth is "not as strong as some previous estimates", the company admitted.