Telecompaper

BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are forecast to reach 139 million broadband connections at the end of 2009 and 300 million connections by 2013, according to a report published by Strategy Analytics. DSL will continue to be the dominant technology in the BRIC region through 2013, though Fibre (FTTx) connections will take on an increasingly important role. FTTx will account for 21 percent of all broadband connections in the BRIC region in 2013, compared to just 10 percent in 2009. WiMAX, likewise, will remain an important platform— though its scope will likely be limited to rural areas otherwise unreachable by traditional wireline broadband. The BRIC countries are often grouped together for sharing certain demographic and economic characteristics, including high GDP growth, a burgeoning and educated middle class, and increasingly important consumer purchasing power. However, despite the commonalities shared by the four BRIC countries, it is unlikely that they will march in lockstep, according to the report.