The numbers are in … and it looks like more and more people are going online and signing up to fibre optic broadband. In fact, a new study from Point Topic and the Broadband Forum has shown that a whopping 17.4 million people got broadband between July and September 2011, bringing the total number of people on t'internet to over 581.3 million. Read on now to find out more about the report and the trends it's predicted.
The Broadband Forum's newest report
At Plusnet, we're always keeping an eye out for interesting news about broadband and the web. So we were excited to see that a new report on broadband has just been published by Point Topic on behalf of the Broadband Forum. The report's published some really interesting facts, including …
- 17.4 million signed up for new broadband connections between July and September 2011.
- 2 per cent more people signed up for cable modems and for DSL.
- 8 per cent more people signed up for fibre optic broadband during this time too.
- More than 581.3 million people are signed up to use the web.
- Broadband hasn't been this popular since 2009.
- Britain is still one of the world's top 10 biggest broadband users.
What's more, the report has picked out some trends for 2012 - and it's predicted that more people will sign up to fibre, even if it means spending a little more. You can see more about what the report's said, here.
Predictions about fibre optic broadband
We were really interested to see that the Forum's report has predicted big things for fibre optic broadband. The report's shown that 8 per cent of 2011's new broadband sign-ups plumped for a fibre optic connection, meaning fibre has shown the strongest access growth rate. A fact that didn't escape Robin Mersh, the CEO of Broadband Forum, who said: "We are especially pleased to see the trend in fibre technologies beginning to take off. At the moment, fibre optic connections aren't available everywhere in the UK. So some people who want fibre might not be able to sign up for it just yet. But even then, the report has predicted that more people will sign up to fibre in 2012. And even more will sign up once fibre connections become more widely available. Oliver Johnson, one of the lead analysts who helped to pull the study together, has said that consumers are set to want faster speeds - even if it does mean spending a little extra for a fibre connection.
Not sure about how this technology works? Check our handy guide about what is fibre broadband.
How the report could mean good things for you
If you're reading this blog post, then chances are that you've already signed up for a home or business broadband package. But that doesn't mean that the report's not relevant to you. If the report's right, friends and family who don't have broadband will be more likely to sign up to t'internet. And if you're happy with your Plusnet broadband, you could recommend it to people you know who are looking to sign up and get surfing. You'll get a discount on your bill, every month, when you recommend a friend to us. And, depending on how many people you refer, you could even make a profit. What do you think of the report? Please let us know by leaving a comment below …