LITTLE ROCK — Broadband subscriptions in China rose by more than half in the first quarter this year, faster than any other region in the world, research firm iSuppli Corp. said in a report last week.
The number of broadband subscribers had “sequential growth of 57 percent in the first quarter,” analyst Lee Ratliff wrote in the report. China accounted for 37 percent of new subscribers worldwide in the quarter, according to El Segundo, Calif.-based iSuppli. The report didn’t give subscriber numbers for the period.
China had an estimated364 million broadband users at the end of June, according to data from the government sponsored China Internet Network Information Center.
“Based on the performance in April and May, the blistering growth should continue in the second quarter,” Ratliff said.
Growth is being aided by $22 billion of government investment to build more than 80 million fiber broadband ports by the end of next year, iSuppli said. Companies that may benefit from the investment include Huawei Technologies Co., ZTE Corp. and Fiberhome Telecommunication Technologies Co.
Business, Pages 24 on 07/26/2010