Apr
12
2011

UK on track for 250K high-speed lines

An article by telecomseurope.net

High speed broadband deployments in the UK are set to replicate the growth pattern set by DSL access a decade ago, Point Topic predicts.

Analysts at the firm expect the number of broadband lines offering data rates of 25Mbps or over to hit 250,000 this month, and note that while the figure represents just 1% of UK homes, it is on-par with rollout of first generation broadband in the early 2000s.

“We went on from there to reach over 13 million broadband lines within five years,” chief analyst Tim Johnson notes.

The firm bases its prediction on figures from end-2010, which show there were 175,000 high-speed broadband lines in action. Projections suggest the number hit 236,000 by end March, prompting the firm to forecast the quarter million mark will be hit by end April.

While Johnson cautions that history will not necessarily repeat itself in terms of DSL broadband growth versus high-speed, he believes the original figures are “still a good pointer to what will happen to superfast broadband in this decade.”

The vast majority of high-speed customers – 118,000 – at end 2010 were signed up to Virgin Media’s 50Mbps service, while 54,000 used BT and the remainder alternative suppliers. Point Topic estimates the figures had grown to 146,000 on Virgin and 86,000 on BT by end March.