The future of broadband

This article will examine the broadband trends that could potentially knock ADSL broadband from its dominant position in the broadband market.

Potential threats to ADSL broadband:

• Mobile broadband
• Cable broadband
• WiMAX broadband

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Mobile broadband: Could overtake home broadband by 2010

At Top 10 Broadband, mobile broadband is the development we see as the greatest threat to traditional ADSL broadband. With sales figures doubling month on month, mobile broadband looks set to overtake home broadband very, very soon.

Greater flexibility and lower costs are two aspects that we think will drive this revolution. Customers are sick of paying costly landline charges for a line they rarely use and now want a solution for out-of-home use that gives them the greater flexibility they need.

Currently there are six mobile phone operators offering mobile broadband (Vodafone, 3, Orange, T-Mobile, O2 and Virgin Mobile).

Cable broadband: Faster speeds could push cable broadband into the lead

The edge that cable broadband has over ADSL broadband is obvious in terms of the superior speeds that it can offer. At present Virgin Media has a monopoly on this facet of the broadband market. How long this monopoly is likely to last will depend on a number of factors.

BT is replacing its copper wires with fibre-optic cables with a view to chasing the high-speed broadband market. The costs involved, however, and the scale of this undertaking mean that this will take some time to complete.

WiMAX broadband: Could be pipped at the post

WiMAX, a technology that offers high-speed broadband via radio waves is another contender to replace ADSL broadband. The ubiquity of radio coverage in both urban and regional areas of the UK are definitely points in its favour.

Unfortunately for WiMAX it has arrived a little too late, as mobile broadband has already taken a stronghold on the roaming/wireless market. This headstart may well prove impossible to overcome.

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• Goodbye home broadband, hello mobile!

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