Broadband: What's in store for 2006?30 December 2005
If asked what gift hit the number one spot this Christmas, most of us would think iPods, MP3 players, digital cameras and so on. It was in fact broadband, the one present behind all the latest and most popular gadgets filling the UK's stockings this year. A new report from uSwitch.com has revealed that as many as 60,000 people in the UK subscribe for a high speed DSL connection every week. This is because, for many of us, accessing the internet automatically implies a broadband connection, as the speed and ease with which it allows us to surf the web increasingly renders old-style dial-up connections obsolete.
This form of internet connection is becoming an increasingly essential part of day-to-day life for many Brits, as our access to communications devices and entertainment starts to rely upon broadband for effective functionality. And, if the experts are to be believed, 2006 is set to see broadband's gradual domination in the home and workplace continue with new innovations likely to see rapid uptake.
The web
The coming year is set to see the internet grow in popularity as the first stop for a number of consumer services and industry activity. US analyst Mark Anderson has predicted that print media and television will start to lose out in 2006 as the public turns to the web for news and information services, with advertisers following suit. He estimates that online advertising is set to increase by 40 to 50 per cent over the year as companies look to catch the growing flow of consumers through the internet. During 2005, the number of broadband connections in the UK soared, showing a 91 per cent increase to reach 6,381,000 by September.
IPTV
According to analysts Point Topic, much of this growth has been pushed by the promise of internet protocol television (IPTV), broadcasting content over a broadband connection. Although this medium of entertainment has been slow to get off the ground, the firm claims that 1.3 million Britons view television over the internet for five hours each week. Viewers are likely to opt for television viewing in this way as it allows for the integration of different media as well as boasting improved interactive capabilities. Most major telecoms companies are already offering IPTV packages ahead of the expected increased uptake during the coming year.
VoIP
Telecommunications companies worldwide are set for huge revenue growth during next year from innovations such as IPTV but equally as important is voice over internet protocol (VoIP) telephony. During 2005 this method of making voice calls via a broadband connection has increased in prominence and looks likely to boom over the course of next year. This has been made even more probable by the investment of big IT and online players such as Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and eBay in smaller VoIP focused companies, including Skype, and technology. The most important factor likely to play a part in driving VoIP uptake is the reduced phone bill costs offered to consumers.
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