AS per new OECD statistics, the fast-growing popularity of smartphones
and tablet PCs is driving growth in mobile broadband services. Wireless
broadband subscriptions in OECD countries had exceeded half a billion by the end
of 2010, an increase of more than 10 percent on June 2010.
Fixed
broadband subscriptions reached 300 million for the first time, but growth
slowed to 6% year-on-year, the lowest growth rate since the OECD started
collecting broadband statistics just over a decade ago. This reflects higher
broadband penetration and market saturation in some countries.
The
Netherlands and Switzerland lead the table, with 38.1 subscriptions per 100
inhabitants, followed by Denmark (37.7) and Norway (34.6). Fibre subscriptions
continue to grow and account for 12.3% of all fixed broadband connections. DSL
is still the most widely used technology (57.6%), followed by cable (29.4%).
Leading countries in fibre are Japan (58%), Korea (55%), Slovak Republic (29%)
and Sweden (26%).
Korea is the leading country for wireless broadband
subscriptions, with 89.8 per 100 inhabitants, followed by Finland (84.8), Sweden
(82.9) and Norway (79.9). This compares to an OECD average of 41.6 and a total
of just under 512 million.
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