US broadband providers invest USD 250 bln since 2008 - study

Broadband providers in US have invested more than USD 250 billion in the effort to expand access to broadband technology since 2008, according to data by USTelecom Association, National Cable & Telecommunications Association and CTIA. Industry analysts project that this year's investment alone will be at least USD 60 billion. The private sector is responding to the demand for better broadband access by making investments, even during a slow economy. The industry's investment has led to the expansion of the broadband networks. The investment in broadband has been profound and it amounts to about USD 2,000 per American household over the past four years. When broken out by sector, capital investment in wireline capacity for the three years of hard data (2008-2010) was USD 89 billion, wireless investment was USD 71 billion and investment in cable was USD 40 billion. Since the early 1990s, the total investment has exceeded USD 1 trillion. There are 1,519 broadband providers in the country providing services to more than 200 million American high-speed internet users.