Explaining what is going on globally, in the communications business, sometimes is a matter of nuances. There is, for example, a difference between the number of access lines or equivalents that might be available for use, and the number that actually are in use. 

That roughly corresponds to the difference between a network that could sell a customer service at a location, and the number of customers that actually do so.

In some cases, there can be a difference between a voice line available, or in use, and a broadband line that is available, or in use.

And, of course, there is a difference between trends in developed regions, where the number of voice lines being used is dropping, and the developing regions, where capacity and usage often are growing. The offset, even in developing regions, is the use of lines exclusively for Internet access, irrespective of voice.

At a high level, one might say the number of lines physically able to be used is growing, globally. 

The number of lines in service seems to be dropping, overall, despite growth of usage in developing regions, simply because the rate of abandonment in developed regions is greater than the number of new lines being added and used in the developing regions.

According to International Telecommunications Union data, for example, the total number of fixed lines in use has declined since about 2006. But the number of fixed broadband lines in use has grown steadily. 


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Overall, the number of fixed network lines has grown steadily. What has changed is the willingness of customers to pay for a fixed voice service, not fixed services of any type.

“The number of broadband subscribers is growing on all DSL, cable, and fiber-optic platforms,” according to ABI Research.

According to ABI Research (News - Alert) optical access market share will reach 19 percent by year-end 2013, up from 16 percent in 2012.

The trend is not only taking place in developed but also in emerging markets. China is anticipated to see a declining trend in DSL broadband adoption in the next few years as the country’s broadband operators, China Telecom and China Unicom (News - Alert), aggressively roll out optical access networks.

In the first quarter of 2013, total DSL subscriptions dropped by three million. In the same period, optical access lines grew from 32.9 million to 37.6 million.

ABI Research expects globally 25.6 million fiber-access subscribers will be added, reaching at least 124 million subscribers by the end of 2013.

In the DSL broadband category, subscriber net additions are expected to drop by 50 percent compared to 2012,” said Khin Sandi Lynn, ABI Research analyst.

The bottom line is that the number of fixed network lines available has grown over the last decade. 

The number of fixed lines in use has grown as well. What is different is a shift of "in use" lines to broadband access, with declining use of fixed network "voice."