There will be 1.2 billion fixed broadband subscribers by 2025, according to predictions in a new report from the Broadband Forum and Point Topic.
The research suggests that the ongoing trends of “booming deep-fibre deployment” and accelerating broadband penetration in developing markets will drive broadband growth through to 2025.
The forecast states that some variant of fibre – either Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH), Fibre-To-The-Premises (FTTP) or Fibre-To-The-Building (FTTB) – will be used by 59% of fixed broadband subscribers globally by 2025.
While broadband-capable device proliferation and connectivity paved the way to the 1 billion broadband subscriber milestone in October, emerging drivers such as 5G, meshed Wi-Fi, and new advanced services will be key to continued growth, the report notes.
Broadband evolves
The report also examines the impact of 5G, predicting that fixed-mobile convergence will mean that the next billion subscribers could blend wireless and fixed subscriptions.
“With 5G on the horizon and new Internet of Things devices and Over the Top services increasingly becoming a part of subscribers’ everyday lives, this new analysis looks at how the fixed broadband market and the technologies within it are evolving to meet this demand,” said Oliver Johnson, CEO at Point Topic.
“As we look towards the next billion broadband subscriptions, fixed lines will continue to play a significant role. We expect to see more convergence between fixed and mobile lines as consumers look for a seamless, high-quality connectivity experience that is available anywhere, anytime.”
Converged 5G core
The Broadband Forum recently delivered recommendations to 3GPP for a converged 5G core for fixed and mobile networks.
Geoff Burke, CMO of Broadband Forum, commented at the time, “Two years ago, ten of the world’s biggest operators came to us with their concerns that the 5G infrastructure which was being developed would not let them take advantage of both their wireless and wireline networks.
“Today, we are able to deliver a set of recommendations which will not only address how the 5G core can be evolved to support the fixed networks of these operators but provide them with the capabilities to launch new innovative combined subscriber offerings.”