IPTV global subscriber totals have now reached 21.7 million, which is an increase of 63 percent on the end of 2007 figures.
"During 2008, IPTV operators showed that TV over IP could be deployed on a large scale," said John Bonsell, a Senior Analyst with Point Topic. "That has been the case particularly in the USA."
As expected, due to the global economic situation, broadband growth slowed, however all countries experienced overall growth during the last year.
Regionally, over the last quarter, Latin America (7.55 percent), Eastern Europe (6.22 percent) and Middle East and Africa (4.76 percent) were the best percentage growth performers, although all regions continued to report growth of some extent.
In terms of technology, DSL continues to be the most popular broadband access technology, although fiber has grown twice as fast as either cable or DSL in the 12 months to Q4 2008. This should continue, given the number of new implementations and consumer and business demand for higher speeds. Value-added services such as IPTV are also proving to be strong drivers for FTTx uptake and have driven this technology through the 50 million mark worldwide.
"This report shows that despite the economic situation the world is facing, the demand for both broadband and IPTV continues to expand," said George Dobrowski, Chairman and President of the Broadband Forum.
"The Forum continues to drive broadband innovation, and with the recent release of BroadbandSuite 3.0, which provides new IPTV management and fibre integration tools, we continue to ensure that the industry has all the tools and specifications it needs to optimise networks and to capture the full potential of broadband worldwide."
