Global fiber users account takes a quarter of the total number of broadband users.

According to a report by Point Topic on the share and technical level of fixed broadband services in countries around the world, the number of global fiber users currently accounts for a quarter of the total number of fixed broadband users.

 

Top ten countries in broadband users

The rankings of the top ten countries for broadband users have not changed since the last report. China has more broadband subscribers than the United States, Japan, Germany and Russia.

Figure 1: Top Ten Broadband Users in the Second Quarter of 2013 (Source: Point Topic)

As of 2013, 7.7 million copper broadband subscribers have been reduced, and this rate of decline is increasing. At present, nearly 25% of global broadband users are fiber-optic access. So far, 20 million fiber-optic broadband users have been added. We are witnessing a major shift in accelerating broadband technology reform.

Figure 2: Number and net growth of global broadband subscribers in the second quarter of 2013 (Source: Point Topic)

Market share of regional broadband users

There are reports that the number of broadband users in different regions has changed significantly. Growth in all regions in the second quarter of 2013 was slower than in the last quarter, but East Asia reportedly reported the fastest decline. East Asia has the largest broadband user base in the world, and its market growth rate has a significant impact on the global growth rate.

This shift in East Asia was caused by China, and the overall number of broadband users was decreasing this quarter. According to telecom regulators, although the number of FTTH and FTTB users has increased rapidly this quarter, this has not offset the decline in the number of DSL broadband subscribers.

The growth in the number of broadband users in North America has also decreased significantly, and is currently lagging behind Europe in terms of growth, user volume and population penetration. Although cable and fiber broadband solutions continue to grow in North America, more than 500,000 copper broadband access subscribers were lost in North America this quarter.

Figure 3: Regional market share of broadband users in the second quarter of 2013 (Source: Point Topic)