Report Summary
This report provides 262 tables of mobile communications statistics covering 34 countries in Asia. Data for North Korea has not been included due to its paucity and unreliability.
Internet
Asia is the world’s leading regional Internet market in terms of subscribers. With an estimated 435 million Internet users by June 2007 - a population penetration of just over 12% - Asia has been increasing its lead over Europe (320 million) and North America (230 million), as expansion in the latter two regions slows. Internet growth in Asia continues to be dominated by the developed economies of the region - Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. This group has been joined by China, based on its sheer weight of numbers; it was claiming 137 million Internet users by end-2006, a penetration in excess of 10%. In the developing economies of Asia, Internet use was still only moving forward at a steady pace due to a range of constraints which included the high cost of access, poor telecommunications infrastructure and the slow rate of deregulation. Nevertheless, even in the developing economies of the region, the promise of the economic returns generated by the Internet has been pushing both governments and the private sector towards modernization.
After the developed Asian economies led an initial high growth period, Asia has continued to advance, but at a somewhat slower pace, with an annual growth rate in Internet users of close to 20% coming into 2007. Of critical importance, the emphasis has shifted to increasing speed and sophistication of the access provision. The region has moved rapidly ahead in the application of high-speed broadband Internet access, increasingly the preferred mode worldwide. South Korea has been leading the world in its commercial application of broadband technologies.
Broadband
Broadband Internet and its various forms of access have continued to take Asia by storm. But, while broadband is one of the fastest growing market segments in Asia, it has so far only managed to make a major impact in Asia’s developed economies. Everywhere else in the region, the Internet continues to be predominantly accessed using dial-up narrowband access. In terms of broadband household penetration, there is a huge gap between the region’s top six markets and the rest of Asia.
In some of the developing markets, incumbent telcos have been resisting the regional push towards broadband. However, as deregulation takes effect, the emergence of new competitors and a strong demand for high-speed Internet services have been forcing incumbents to ramp-up their broadband access roll-outs despite concerns over the threat to traditional service revenue streams and their investment in legacy networks.
The region has two dominant broadband access modes - DSL and cable modem, with DSL being the major means of access. Asia is the one region of the world where FttH has started to emerge as a serious broadband platform. The technology has taken off in a big way in Japan, with over eight million FttH subscribers by early 2007. Not unexpectedly, the movement towards fibre has been occurring in Asia’s more developed markets, where positive government intervention has been playing an important role. However, the adoption rates have varied considerably from market to market. Invariably, FttH has found itself competing with the copper loop as technology continues to extend the capability of this traditional technology.
Report Outline
1. ASIAN OVERVIEW
1.1 Internet
1.1.1 Subscribers
1.1.2 Internet penetration
1.2 Broadband
1.2.1 Subscribers
1.2.2 Broadband technologies
2. Afghanistan
2.1 Country overview
2.2 Internet and broadband
3. Armenia
3.1 Country overview
3.2 Internet
4. Azerbaijan
4.1 Country overview
4.2 Internet and broadband
5. Bangladesh
5.1 Country overview
5.2 Internet and broadband
5.3 Convergence
6. Bhutan
6.1 Country overview
6.2 Internet
7. Brunei Darussalam
7.1 Country overview
7.2 Internet and broadband
8. Cambodia
8.1 Country overview
8.2 Internet
9. China
9.1 Country overview
9.2 Internet and broadband
9.2.1 Online content
9.2.2 Operator statistics
9.3 Convergence
10. Georgia
10.1 Country overview
10.2 Internet and broadband
11. Hong Kong
11.1 Country overview
11.2 Internet and broadband
11.2.1 Operator statistics
11.3 Convergence
11.3.1 Operator statistics
12. India
12.1 Country overview
12.2 Internet and broadband
12.3 Convergence
13. Indonesia
13.1 Country overview
13.2 Internet and broadband
13.3 Convergence
14. Japan
14.1 Country overview
14.2 Internet and broadband
14.2.1 Operator statistics
14.3 Convergence
14.3.1 Operator statistics
15. Kazakhstan
15.1 Country overview
15.2 Internet and broadband
16. Kyrgyzstan
16.1 Country overview
16.2 Internet and broadband
17. Laos
17.1 Country overview
17.2 Internet and broadband
18. Macau
18.1 Country overview
18.2 Internet and broadband
18.3 Convergence
19. Malaysia
19.1 Country overview
19.2 Internet and broadband
19.3 Operator statistics
19.4 Convergence
20. Maldives
20.1 Country overview
20.2 Internet and broadband
21. Mongolia
21.1 Country overview
21.2 Internet
22. Myanmar
22.1 Country overview
22.2 Internet and broadband
23. Nepal
23.1 Country overview
23.2 Internet
24. Pakistan
24.1 Country overview
24.2 Internet and broadband
24.3 Convergence
25. Philippines
25.1 Country overview
25.2 Internet and broadband
25.2.1 Operator statistics
25.3 Convergence
26. Singapore
26.1 Country overview
26.2 Internet and broadband
26.3 Operator statistics
26.4 Convergence
27. South Korea
27.1 Country overview
27.2 Internet and broadband
27.3 Operator statistics
27.4 Internet economy
28. Sri Lanka
28.1 Country overview
28.2 Internet and broadband
29. Taiwan
29.1 Country overview
29.2 Internet and broadband
29.2.1 Operator Chunghua statistics
29.3 Convergence
30. Tajikistan
30.1 Country overview
30.2 Internet
31. Thailand
31.1 Country overview
31.2 Internet and broadband
31.3 Convergence
31.4 Operator statistics
32. Timor Leste
32.1 Country overview
32.2 Internet
33. Turkmenistan
33.1 Country overview
33.2 Internet
34. Uzbekistan
34.1 Country overview
34.2 Internet and broadband
35. Vietnam
35.1 Country overview
35.2 Internet
