DSL Leads Globally, U.S. Gap Narrowing

Slowpokes are expected to get left behind as the U.S. careens toward 50 percent broadband penetration by 2008, according to Jupiter Research (a unit of this site’s corporate parent). By that time, DSL [define] will narrow the 2-to-1 adoption gap, reaching more than 20 percent, compared to cable modem’s nearly 25 percent share.

Jupiter figured DSL lines accounted for 6.7 percent of total U.S. internet accessibility in 2003, with cable modem representing 14.4 percent. The divide narrows incrementally until it finally reaches just over 4.5 percentage points in 2008.

While the U.S. hasn’t fully embraced DSL, the rest of the world has selected the connection method over cable modem, and Point-Topic estimates that 60 percent (46.7 million) of all broadband lines worldwide were DSL by the end of the first half of 2003, and the forecast is for 60 million DSL lines by the end of the year.

Point-Topic found that Japan and China dominated worldwide DSL growth over the first half of 2003, adding nearly 4.5 million of the total 10.7 million additions. The Asia-Pacific region leads DSL global subscriptions, accounting for roughly 38 percent of the market, while Western Europe follows with more than 27 percent. Another 20 percent of the DSL pie goes to North America; Southeast Asia, 10 percent; Middle East and Africa, .8 percent; and Eastern Europe .4 percent.