Cable Europe: latest growth figures boost digital agenda lift-off

[khurramdar]

Cable Europe: latest growth figures boost digital agenda lift-off


Thursday, 04 March 2010


New industry figures announced at Cable Congress 2010 in Brussels reveal continued strong growth from Europe’s preferred distribution platform for telephone, television and high speed broadband internet services.

The annual industry figures showed 13.4% growth in subscribers for broadband internet â€" now accounting for 21.5 million connections across Europe â€" and 21% growth in Digital Television subscribers to 21.5 million. A new milestone was reached in the digital transition as for the first time ever, digital cable TV revenues outstripped analogue revenues in latest YE2009 Screen Digest figures released today.

“Fibre-speed is launching us to new levels of performance in living rooms across Europe. With 100 Mb+ speeds now available in 13 countries, we continue to set new benchmarks. Years of investment are paying off. We are convincing millions of customers to join us for speed and better-quality connectivity,” commented Cable Europe President, Manuel Kohnstamm. “We drive a relentless effort towards high speed broadband and digital television. We could not be more supportive to the policy makers of Europe in their vision of the new Digital Agenda.”

Cable Congress 2010 opens today with more than 10 CEOs from the cable industry present at one of the leading international ICT summits of the year. It convenes over 700 industry and policy executives in the heart of Brussels between March 3-5. Cable Congress 2010 will also feature later today a special policy session that features Ed Richards (CEO, OFCOM UK) Matthias Kurth (President BNetzA Germany), Antti-Ilmari Peltomäki (Deputy Director General, DG INFSO), and Christian Engstrom MEP and Ignacio Redondo, (Secretary General of Spanish Regulator, CMT).

”We’re seeing a real lift-off as our industry goes digital,” says Cable Europe Managing Director, Caroline Van Weede. “As analog growth tails off, it makes room for the strong growth we’re seeing in digital TV as well as positive high speed broadband revenue. Video on Demand is clearly here to stay and with 18% growth in revenues makes a strong case for future offers of easy access easily accessible legal content with fibre-speed.”

Cable is on board for Europe’s economic regeneration. Cable Europe and the wider European ICT industry, responsible for 40% of Europe’s GDP, will be delivering on Joint Recommendations delivered to the Spanish Presidency. Broadband based innovation has the potential in Europe of creating up to one million jobs and related growth of economic activity of â,¬849bn by 2015. The cable industry will also be supporting further progress at the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) on May 25-27 2010 in Amsterdam.

About Cable Europe

Cable Europe is a trade association that groups all leading broadband cable TV operators and their national associations throughout Europe. The aim of Cable Europe is to promote and defend the industry’s policies and business interests at European and international levels, and to foster cooperation among its members. The European cable TV industry services more than 94 million broadband, TV and telephony subscriptions throughout the EU 27 (around 70 million households).