In the fourth quarter of 2024, growth in the global broadband sector hit a snag. High mobile subscriber rates, saturated markets, economic pressures, and geopolitical tensions all played a role. Point Topic’s latest research highlights that fixed broadband connections worldwide reached 1.5 billion, growing just 0.91%—down from 1.44% the previous quarter.
Subscriptions fell in 14 countries, increasing from 13 in the third quarter. Most broadband technologies lost market share, except for satellite and fixed wireless access (FWA). Subscriber growth hit its second-lowest rate in two years, but it was a slight improvement compared to the same quarter last year. The slowdown trend persists as fixed broadband penetration rises, but growth varies widely across regions. Notably, developing markets showed the strongest growth.
India stands out with a remarkable 5.27% growth rate among the top 20 fixed broadband markets, driven by low penetration and a robust economy. Every major market except Italy reported subscriber growth, averaging 1.12%, a dip from 1.25% in the previous quarter. Italy faced a churn rate of 2.3%, largely because fibre growth couldn’t compensate for a 600,000 drop in copper connections.
South and East Asia accounted for nearly 51% of global fixed broadband subscribers in Q4 2024. China’s growth slowed significantly to 0.6%, down from 1.75% just a quarter earlier, lowering the region’s contribution to net gains from 68.17% to 54.62%. Latin America followed a similar trend, with key markets like Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico experiencing slower growth.
On a brighter note, North America showed impressive performance, with an 11.53% growth in Q4, up from 4.63%. Both the U.S. and Canada saw significant increases in broadband connections, especially through satellite and FWA models.
In terms of market shares, the Middle East and Africa, along with South and East Asia, saw minimal expansions of 0.03%. The report identified the highest fibre-to-the-home/business (FTTH/B) growth rates in countries like Egypt, Venezuela, the UK, Greece, and Algeria, all registering double-digit increases. FTTH/B accounted for 71.49% of total fixed broadband subscriptions, with year-on-year connections rising by 7.4%. Meanwhile, share from cable and copper technologies continued to decline.
Satellite and FWA connections thrived, enjoying annual growth rates of 52.5% and 27.3%, respectively, largely driven by Starlink. By the end of 2024, Starlink had amassed about 4.6 million subscribers worldwide, with over two million in the U.S. Canada, Brazil, Australia, and Mexico rounded out the top five markets, particularly benefiting due to vast regions lacking traditional broadband. However, potential political obstacles in Canada could impact future growth.