By Telecom Lead Team: The total number of broadband
subscribers including DSL, cable, fiber optic, and broadband wireless platforms
will reach 15.4 million in 2012.
Government initiatives are essential to speed up broadband
deployment in India, since the current broadband penetration of 5 percent is
considerably low. The lack of infrastructure for fixed broadband access is one
of the main reasons hampering the widespread use of broadband,” said Khin Sandi
Lynn, research analyst at ABI Research.
Recently, ABI Research said that global fixed broadband
revenue is expected to generate $191 billion and reaching $217 billion in 2016.
Global fixed broadband revenue to generate $191 billion in 2012
Globally, broadband operators are upgrading existing
networks to meet rising bandwidth demand with some DSL operators going so far
as to completely replace existing copper lines with pure optical fiber to offer
fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) service, or upgrading copper lines to offer
higher-speed services such as VDSL.
In India, the telecommunications sector is growing
rapidly. Broadband communications is also surging across India. The country’s
economy and the Indian government’s broadband initiatives have supported the
continuous expansion of the broadband sector.
ABI Research said that besides the network
infrastructure, India does not have enough applications and services to drive
broadband uptake. Although the government of India has initiated e-governance,
e-learning, and e-healthcare services, these services are presently at a
nascent stage.
Unless there are innovative services that need high
bandwidth access, consumers are not likely to spend on fixed broadband access.
Services, including online video, online music downloads, and online gaming,
are currently the most popular applications used by Indian online users.
Broadband operators of India will need to develop and provide such types of
value-added services to the broadband users to boost the subscriber base.
Broadband network expansion as well as network upgrades
are currently underway in India as they try to catch up to other comparable
Asia-Pacific broadband markets. BSNL has started to launch fiber-to-the home
(FTTH) services in some cities, providing up to 100 Mbps speeds. Overall, the
Indian fixed broadband market will continue to grow, reaching 24 million
subscribers in 2016.
editor@telecomlead.com
