Over 200 million customers worldwide are now using DSL and xDSL for broadband connection, up 29% from a year earlier, says the DSL Forum.
DSL accounts for more than 65% of all broadband access technologies, ahead of wireless, FTTx and cable modem, says the forum, citing research firm Point Topic.
Demand is being driven by strong uptake in China and in Southeast Asia.
China is the largest DSL market, with an estimated 43-plus million of Chinese are using DSL to access broadband services by May -- accounting for about 21.7% of total DSL subscribers, following by the US (27.5 million) and Germany (15.7.3 million).
Robin Mersh, the DSL Forum chief operating officer, attributed the growth in China to the government initiative to get phone limes and broadband to full population, and the growing popularity of new services like IPTV. China Telecom, for instance, last year upgraded 1.2 million DSL lines to ADSL2+ to carry IPTV and other bandwidth intensive applications.
Mersh, who was attending the BBWF Asia in Beijijng, says there is still a great potential of growth in China, given that the DSL subscribers only for over 3% of the total population.
Looking forward, Mersh says, new services like triple play and the implementation of fixed mobile convergence by telecom operators will be the main driving factors for global DSL subscription. Geographically, he adds, India, Africa and South America are expected to see strong growth in DSL deployment in the years ahead.h