Digitaltveurope.com

High speed broadband services were available in more than three quarters of homes in the 28 countries of the European Union at the end of June 2017, according to IHS Markit.

The research firm said that for the first time, 4G LTE availability matched 3G HSPA networks in terms of the number of households covered.

The research also said that by mid-2017, high-speed fixed broadband services with at least 30 Mbps download speeds were available to 79% of EU households.

“VSDL was the fastest-growing fixed broadband technology for the sixth consecutive year, supported by the rapid rollout of VDSL networks in Italy and the Czech Republic. Both countries reported double-digit increases over the previous year,” said James Joyner, senior research analyst, IHS Markit.

“Fiber-to-the-home (FTTP) coverage increased at a faster rate than in the previous iteration of the study, aided by deployments in France and Spain. However, growth in DOCSIS 3.0 networks has slowed, with the most densely populated areas already reached.”