China surpasses US in broadband roll out

by This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it on Sunday, 28 September 2008

zoom

Web usage has increased dramatically in China in recent years. (Getty Images)

China has overtaken the USA in number of broadband lines, according to new research from analyst company Point Topic.

The two leaders in broadband deployment drew level in August, with 78 million broadband lines in each country, but China is increasing its infrastructure roll out at a much faster rate than the US.

The US added 1.1 million new broadband lines in Q2 2008, against 5 million in China. The figures show broadband deployment in the US is slowing down, from 3.4 million new lines in Q4 07, while China has increased from 3.5 million in Q4 07.

Story continues below ↓

Oliver Johnson, chief executive of Point Topic commented: “This is a major milestone for China. Launching people into space is spectacular, but having the biggest broadband market down here on earth means a lot more for building a modern, hi-tech economy.

“It’s not so surprising that the US has been overtaken in absolute numbers – after all, China has more than three times as many homes and people. But the US has also fallen behind the leading European and Asian countries in percentage take-up of broadband,” he added.

The slowing rate of roll out has serious implications for the competitiveness of the US economy, Johnson said.

In part, the problem is due to a light touch of regulation in the US, which has allowed operators to restrict the broadband market with high prices, which has slowed down growth, he said.

For news updates sign up for our newsletter

READERS' COMMENTS

Disclaimer: The views expressed here by our readers are not necessarily shared by ArabianBusiness.com or its employees.

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment
All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.

Name *

Remember me on this computer

Email *

(Your email address will not be published)

City

Country

Subject *

Comment *

Notify me of further comments