According to the latest figures published by the Broadband Forum and prepared by broadband industry analysts Point Topic, broadband subscriptions have soared to over 624 million, presenting a huge opportunity for the future of the connected home. With more than 15 million new IPTV subscribers added over the past year, it is clear that broadband multiplay is gaining momentum.
Source: Point Topic
The Set-Top Box (STB) market in India, which has been largely driven by DTH services, is all set to witness significant growth in consumption as digitization proceeds further for in India, according to a new Research and Markets report entitled: "Set-Top Box Market in India 2012."
With free turn-by-turn navigation available on all major smartphone OS’, ABI Research is finding a combination of other application segments and advertising will help to sustain a healthy LBS market. Of the emerging areas, the GPS-enabled health and fitness market continues to grow strongly with application downloads expected to break the 100m mark in 2012.
The UK's broadband infrastructure is characterized by excellent cross-platform competition, with comprehensive DSL complemented by cable networks which reach about half of all households. The DSL network has been upgraded during the last few years as a result of BT's migration to its new 21CN. Virgin Media has emerged as the best provider in terms of realised speeds - the company has rolled out a 120Mb/s service across much of its footprint, with a program during 2012 to double broadband speeds to customers.
Shipments of 3D-Ready Devices Forecast to Reach 226M Units Worldwide by 2019
The 3D display market is set to grow from 50.8 million units and $13.2 billion in revenue in 2011 to 226 million units and $67 billion in revenue in 2019 worldwide, according to the NPD DisplaySearch 3D Display Technology and Market Forecast Report. 3D TVs contribute heavily to this projection and create the largest revenue stream with anticipated growth from 25 million units in 2011 to approximately 180 million units in 2019.
Bolivia's broadband prices drop, but are still the regions most expensive. Bolivia is one of the poorest and least developed nations in Latin America, with correspondingly low telecom indicators, according to a new report by Research and Markets entitled "Bolivia - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband."
For example, mobile penetration is the fourth lowest in the region after Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua. This, however, is no less than would be expected considering Bolivia's GDP per capita is likewise the region's fourth lowest.
Despite an economic downturn Azerbaijan is still growing its telecom sector. Coming into 2012 Azerbaijan's mobile subscriber base had passed the 10 million milestone (109% penetration). Mobile subscriber growth had moderated to 10% per annum in 2011 and similar growth was continuing into 2012, according to a Research and Markets report entitled “Azerbaijan - Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband and Forecasts.”
The global pay-TV market continues to grow despite a decline in the North America pay-TV market in 2012. ABI Research forecast that global pay TV subscribers will reach 858.1 million at the end of 2012, a 5% year-on-year increment from 2011. The key growth will be driven by the Asian-Pacific market which is expected to add more than 27 million subscribers in 2012.
Even while experiencing some significant challenges, the global set-top box market continues to expand. Demand for digital set-top box products is rising, particularly in Asia, Latin America, and a number of countries in Europe. The expansion of pay-TV services in developing markets, along with the ongoing shift from standard-definition products to high-definition products in developed markets, is fueling market demand, according to Multimedia Research Group Inc. (MRG).
Global TV shipments declined for the second straight quarter, falling 8% Y/Y in Q2’12, according to the NPD DisplaySearch Advanced Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report. The decline in TV shipments started in Q4’11 and has continued in 2012, reflecting worsening economic conditions worldwide and slower price erosion, which both affect consumer demand.
