Article at a glance:
While many providers of broadband access have fallen on hard times—DirecTV in the United States is only the latest to exit the business—broadband itself is gaining popularity. More than 100 million subscribers have signed on across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and growth is likely to continue evenly in all three. As broadband moves into the mainstream, it is reshaping the telecommunications, cable, and Internet access industries. So far, there are no "killer applications" beyond faster, better access to the Internet. But this alone has important implications for any company with an Internet business, for when broadband access reaches the saturation point in a market, new applications with the potential to disrupt existing market structures can come on-line quickly.
The take-away
Leaders in every industry, not just the telecom and media sectors, should keep a close eye on broadband in their markets, to be ready for the moment when it starts to refashion their value chains.