European broadband infrastructure nears capacity

New research from Frost & Sullivan warns that growing demand for bandwith across Europe will stretch existing broadband services to the limit.

Demand is being driven by the increasing popularity of high-bandwith applications such as high definition-video and the convergence of telecoms technologies.

In Europe, broadband is mainly delivered via DSL (digital subscriber technology), which uses existing copper access networks, and this is meeting demand at the moment.

Local network conditions are favourable to the deployment of DSL, while alternative fibre-to-the-home technology requires high capital investment.

However, Frost & Sullivan warns that the capacity of DSL-based networks in Europe may soon be exceeded by bandwith-hungry entertainment applications, meaning that service providers may need to start deploying fibre deeper into the network.