DSL CONTINUES ITS WORLDWIDE TOUR

Third quarter figures released by the DSL Forum last month revealed a surge of 5 million DSL subscribers worldwide between July and September. South and Southeast Asia led the charge, showing 137% growth in Q3, and once again North America's gains were far behind the rest of the world.

While DSL is on fire in other regions, DSL Forum Chairman Bill Rodey said that North America's 11.07% growth in one quarter is nothing to scoff at, and that many other industries would be envious of such growth statistics. Still, Rodey admitted that North America has some catching up to do, and he said he believes carriers will do just that if regulatory issues are settled in Congress.

Figure 1
Top 10 countries in DSL penetration

Figure 2
Regional share of DSL connections

Figure 3
Total DSL subscribers worldwide

Figure 4
Business vs. residential subscribers