New Report Examines the Diverse Asian Broadband and Internet Markets

DUBLIN, Ireland--(Business Wire)--Research and Markets
(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c76772) has announced the
addition of 2007 Asia Broadband and Internet Market Reports to their
offering.

The 2007 Asia Broadband and Internet Market Reports, contains over
460 pages of research and analysis on the Broadband and Internet
markets in Asia. Consisting of 4 volumes this research covers 35 Asian
countries, grouped by geographic regions (Central, North, South and
South East) and includes -

- Internet infrastructure and development;

- Internet policies, models and concepts;

- Internet access - DSL, Cable, Wireless;

- Internet and broadband statistics;

- Internet censorship;

- Internet forecasts in selected countries;

- Internet Infrastructure and Developments;

- National Policies, Government Policies, Regulatory Regimes;

- Internet VPNs and VoIP;

- Network Operators, and ISPs.

- Network Players;

- xDSL, Cable Modem, FttH, Satellite;

- Wireless Broadband, WiMAX.

Central Asia

While the countries of Central Asia have struggled with poor
telecom infrastructure and underdeveloped regulatory, one segment of
the market that has been most adversely affected has been the
Internet. With none of these countries having Internet user
penetrations higher than 10% at the end of 2006, the race is now on in
each of the markets to build increased capacity to access the
Internet. Turkmenistan and Tajikistan with Internet user penetrations
of less than 1% by end-2006 are the lowest ranked by this measure and
certainly have a huge task ahead of them. Right across the sub-region,
Internet access has been predominantly provided as a dial-up service.
The first signs of higher speed, broadband access services are evident
in a number of the markets, but the total broadband subscriber base
remains very tiny for the time being and therefore constitutes only a
small proportion of the total Internet subscriber base in each
country.

The rate of expansion of Internet services will no doubt increase
on the back of the wider push to improve the overall telecoms capacity
and infrastructure in each market. Although the pace is variable
across the markets, there is certainly a consistent commitment to
developing the national networks. Of course, it is not simply a matter
of increased investment in infrastructure. There also needs to be a
commitment with regard to regulatory reform. Interestingly, the
Internet market has experienced some distinct challenges in Central
Asia in this regard, as some of the governments have seen online
access as a specific threat to national security and good order of
their respective countries. The two lowly penetrated Internet markets,
Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, have both been subjected to tight
government restrictions and limitations on access, no doubt helping
stunt the growth of online activity in both these countries. But they
are not the only markets in Central Asia with laws aimed at Internet
censorship. Kazakhstan and Georgia, for example, both have restrictive
regulations in place that can be invoked as and when the government
sees fit.

North Asia

In the rush to go online, North Asia is being led by a group of
the most highly penetrated Internet markets in the world. With Asia
the world's leading regional Internet market in terms of subscribers,
with the region North Asia is the outstanding driving Internet force.
Not surprisingly, Internet growth in Asia continues to be dominated by
the developed economies of North Asia - Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea
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%. South Korea is the top
ranked North Asia market in terms of user penetration with 71%; at the
other end of the spectrum is Mongolia with 10% and just behind China
in user penetration.

A focus on high-speed broadband Internet access in its various
forms is also a feature of North Asia's Internet growth. Again,
following the example set by market leader South Korea, the emphasis
has been on delivering faster broadband speeds to the customers.

In terms of broadband access, Asia is one region in the world
where Fibre-to-the-Home (FttH) has started to emerge as a serious
broadband platform. The technology has taken off in a big way in
Japan. There were already 10 million FttH subscribers in Japan by
mid-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.

South Asia

Generally speaking, the penetration of Internet across South Asia
remains low. Broadband access is almost non-existent across much of
the sub-region and there are no signs of an early major upturn. The
more significant impact of Internet in South Asia is to be found in
India and Pakistan, where Internet usage is creeping towards 10%
penetration. But for most of the other markets going online has been a
struggle. One interesting exception has been the Maldives; with its
small population combined with a healthy tourist industry, Internet
usage has been relatively substantial.

South East Asia

Of Asia's estimated 450 million Internet users in early 2007, only
about 65 million were to be found in South East Asia. In other words,
South East Asia had around 14% of the Internet user population of the
region at the time. Despite highly penetrated Internet markets to be
found in Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia, South East Asian economies
are more generally in the developing phase when it comes to Internet,
with user penetrations typically at the lower end of the scale. At the
lowest level we find Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, all with user
penetrations of less than 1%.

In terms of broadband access, only Singapore rates as a highly
penetrated market (65% of households by early 2007). Despite a flurry
of activity in markets like Malaysia and Thailand, South Asia
continues to lag well behind the more developed markets of the region
in the application and penetration of broadband Internet access.

Compilation of the 4 Broadband and Internet Market reports for
each region Central, North, South and South East

Central Asian Broadband and Internet Markets

North Asian Broadband and Internet Markets

South Asian Broadband and Internet Markets

South East Asian Broadband and Internet Markets

For more information visit
here

Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
Fax: +353 1 4100 980
press@researchandmarkets.com

Copyright Business Wire 2007