Wire line and wireless networks are converging, and multimedia services are being delivered across all IP broadband. - File photo

ISLAMABAD: Broadband subscription is increasing in the country and it is estimated that there will be 9.5 million broadband subscribers by 2014.

In the light of existing trends, it can be predicted about the future broadband trends that wireless broadband technologies would overcome fixed line xDSL services within a span of one year.

According to official data available, as for the number of subscribers by 2020, it is believed that within next four years, market would witness a growth rate of nearly 70-85% per annum.

This would be followed by a steady growth rate of 5-25% in the next six years, taking the total number of broadband subscribers to 19.5 million by 2020.

According to an estimate,Pakistan would touch 195 million population by 2020.

Calculating the broadband penetration presently at 0.57, it is predicted that broadband penetration by 2020 will reach to 10 subscribers per 100 inhabitants.

According to official data available,these figures are estimated for broadband subscription,not the broadband usage in the country which surely by quite high.

Roughly, if a multiple factor of 4 users per a single broadband connection is calculated,total broadband users in the country would be 78 million by 2020.

Wire line and wireless networks are converging, and multimedia services are being delivered across all IP broadband. Mobile phones are now capable of running sophisticated applications and have become an important platform through 3G platforms.

In the IP world, consumers are increasingly participating in the creation of content, applications and services by combining available resources and creating value for all contributors.

It is estimated that the next ten years would bring in a ubiquitous personalized communication life style, where any service can be run on any device on any network and in any location through a broadband connection.