Asia broadband use jumps
Wednesday, November 7, 2001
CAROLYN ONG
The number of broadband Internet access subscriptions in Hong Kong has jumped by 223 per cent from last year to make up one-third of all Internet access accounts.
According to market research firm International Data Corp (IDC), there are 1.23 million broadband Internet access subscribers compared with 383,000 last year. IDC's figure includes both consumer and corporate broadband access.
In total, there are 3.5 million Internet access subscribers in Hong Kong, up from 2.6 million last year.
The huge increase in the number of broadband users is not just in Hong Kong. The report from IDC showed that broadband subscriptions in China went up from 68,000 last year to 437,000 this year.
South Korea, with 7.54 million broadband Internet subscriptions, up from 3.49 million last year, has the highest penetration rate in the world.
The country has 14 million Internet access subscribers in total.
IDC analyst Simon Chew said that the penetration rate of broadband Internet in Hong Kong was the region's second-highest, after Korea, and one of the highest in the world.
In comparison, growth of dial-up Internet access subscription has slowed and Mr Chew added that a downward trend in pricing for broadband subscriptions would further drive broadband growth and narrow the gap between dial-up and broadband subscriptions.
By 2005, Mr Chew said, China was expected to have 8.3 million broadband subscribers.
Korea will remain the largest market in the region with 21.8 million.
Hong Kong's broadband Internet access market is projected to grow to 2.11 million subscribers and Singapore will grow from 253,000 this year to 1.34 million in 2005.
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