Post by Bozur on Apr 10, 2005 17:35:48 GMT -5
Greece still among EU laggards in broadband DSL connections
But improvements bolstered growth rate by 50 percent in the last quarter of 2004
By Fotis Kollias - Kathimerini
Fast Internet DSL connections reached 46,500 at the end of 2004 in Greece, showing a strong increase during the year’s last quarter, but the country remains one of the laggards in broadband services in Europe, according to the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA).
Data show that DSL users in Greece increased by as much as 50 percent in the last three months of 2004, as state telecom OTE tried to whittle down the long queue of interested clients. Many had waited for months to get an ADSL connection. However, the situation has improved substantially since with the recent upgrading of OTE centers.
Alternative telecom servers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) account for the greatest portion of ADSL connections in Greece. OTE’s share is nearly 46 percent, while the company also profits from the standing charge which subscribers pay to own an ADSL line.
Local Loop Unbundling (LLU), through which alternative providers gain direct access to subscribers, is proceeding at a snail’s pace in Greece. ECTA data show, however, that LLU is one of the main reasons for the sudden growth of broadband connection penetration. France, for instance, which at year’s end overcame Germany and is today the biggest market in broadband connections in Europe (with more than 7 million subscribers), relied on LLU.
DSL dominates in broadband connection technologies, with ADSL subscribers now reaching 31 million in Europe, against just 7 million opting for cable networks, satellite links and the like. Broadband connection growth rates appear on the increase (in the last quarter of 2004 DSL connections rose by 15 percent, while the increase in the third quarter had reached 13 percent). Former telecom monopolies continue to have the lion’s share in broadband connections, with an average market share of 75 percent in Europe.
www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid=54468
But improvements bolstered growth rate by 50 percent in the last quarter of 2004
By Fotis Kollias - Kathimerini
Fast Internet DSL connections reached 46,500 at the end of 2004 in Greece, showing a strong increase during the year’s last quarter, but the country remains one of the laggards in broadband services in Europe, according to the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA).
Data show that DSL users in Greece increased by as much as 50 percent in the last three months of 2004, as state telecom OTE tried to whittle down the long queue of interested clients. Many had waited for months to get an ADSL connection. However, the situation has improved substantially since with the recent upgrading of OTE centers.
Alternative telecom servers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) account for the greatest portion of ADSL connections in Greece. OTE’s share is nearly 46 percent, while the company also profits from the standing charge which subscribers pay to own an ADSL line.
Local Loop Unbundling (LLU), through which alternative providers gain direct access to subscribers, is proceeding at a snail’s pace in Greece. ECTA data show, however, that LLU is one of the main reasons for the sudden growth of broadband connection penetration. France, for instance, which at year’s end overcame Germany and is today the biggest market in broadband connections in Europe (with more than 7 million subscribers), relied on LLU.
DSL dominates in broadband connection technologies, with ADSL subscribers now reaching 31 million in Europe, against just 7 million opting for cable networks, satellite links and the like. Broadband connection growth rates appear on the increase (in the last quarter of 2004 DSL connections rose by 15 percent, while the increase in the third quarter had reached 13 percent). Former telecom monopolies continue to have the lion’s share in broadband connections, with an average market share of 75 percent in Europe.
www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid=54468