The number of US Internet subscribers accessing the Net through broadband connections is set to expand from 28.5 million in 2004 to more than 47 million in 2007. That’s according to the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). Dial-up subscriber numbers actually fell slightly for the first time in 2003, dropping 0.2 percent to 47.7 million from the peak of 47.8 million in 2002. The TIA says the proportion of DSL connections is set to increase at the expense of cable. TIA expects double-digit increases in cable modem subscribership through 2006, with growth dropping to 8.7 percent in 2007.
Other methods of accessing the Web include fixed wireless, which is expected to reach nearly 2.6 million subscribers by 2007. Fiber will emerge as an alternative to cable and DSL in rural and underserved areas, reaching an estimated 1.4 million households by 2007. Satellite high-speed Internet subscribers will reach a projected 2 million by 2007.
Telecommunications Industry Association
