Eastern European Fixed Broadband Connection Speeds On The Rise

The following post comes from Kagan, a media research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence. To learn more about this research, please request a call. 

More than 25% of Eastern European households subscribe to fixed broadband services with average connection speeds faster than 15 Mbps, representing a large and growing number of potential customers for Ultra HD TV service over broadband. The number of "UHD ready" broadband subscriptions in the 13 surveyed markets has risen by 286% over the last three years from 3.7 million in 2013 to 14.2 million in 2016, according to Kagan, a media research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Combining Kagan estimates of broadband subscribers with Akamai Technologies Inc.'s State of the Internet reports, we estimate 14.2 million connections, or 25% of total broadband homes, had an average speed above 15 Mbps at the end of 2016, compared to 11.8 million households, or 22%, in 2015. Akamai considers 15 Mbps a minimum average speed for streaming UHD quality video.

The connection speeds have been rising constantly over recent years, with Romania, Czech Republic, Latvia and Bulgaria leading the pack. Those four countries have overall average speeds exceeding 15 Mbps. Croatia is lagging far behind with an average speed of 8.6 Mbps as of the first quarter, the only Eastern European country below double-digit speeds.

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