BOSTON, June 2 -- Broadband uptake in European households will reach 28 percent by 2008, according to a report by market analyis firm Jupiter Research. The company said its research also suggests that Europe will overtake the US, with 48 percent of European households using broadband connections, compared to 46 percent in the US, by 2007.
Analysts claim that the growth in the number of households in Europe switching to broadband cable and DSL connections is directly linked to increased consumer interest, wider availability and competitive pricing.
"Internet users are highly price sensitive when adopting broadband," said Ian Fogg, an analyst at Jupiter Research. "Recent moves by European and UK providers to offer cheaper DSL and cable services have proved extremely popular. This will continue to drive increased broadband growth."
Yet figures from the end of 2002 show that limited broadband availability and poor communication are causing a slow migration and uptake in some regions of Europe, with the result that broadband penetration varies, ranging from only one percent in households in Greece to 19 percent in Belgium. By 2008, these two countries will continue to represent the extremes of Europe's broadband market, with broadband implementation rates from 10 percent to 42 percent, respectively. However, improvements in broadband technology will lead to a wider geographical uptake, the Jupiter report said.
In larger European countries, broadband households will continue to increase, with over 12 million in Germany, nearly 7 million in France and 8 million in the UK by 2008, Jupiter said. The growth of broadband in Spain will be the quickest in Europe, where more than 2 million households will switch to broadband by 2004.
For more information, visit: www.jupiterresearch.com