Global fixed broadband service revenue totaled $170 billion by the end of 2009, with year-over-year growth of 14 percent, according to ABI Research.
DSL remains the largest broadband revenue generator with 62 percent of total global broadband service revenue.
Broadband fiber service revenue is the fastest-growing among the various platforms. ABI Research expects that fiber broadband service revenue will approach $25 billion in 2010.
The Asia-Pacific region is leading in that category, with 80 percent of the global broadband fiber market.
Operators in Western European countries are also accelerating the rollout of broadband fiber. Recently, British Telecom set a target to provide fiber broadband to 40 percent of homes by 2012.
In Italy, meanwhile, Fastweb, Vodafone and Wind are planning to launch a shared fiber-optic network to deliver FTTH to end users.
In countries with low penetration, fixed broadband pricing can be higher and data speeds lower than in countries with higher broadband penetration. In countries such as Thailand or India, broadband connections with a 4 Mbps download speed cost around $19 per month, while a 20 Mbps fixed broadband connection costs around $24 in France.
The high price is a barrier to greater broadband adoption in developing countries. Governments need to encourage competition and widen the technology options in order to lower the prices in these countries, ABI Research concludes.
