Insight 12: Broadband subscriber additions in Q1 2009 – China and the US lead the way fast online service and this is confi rmed by the num-bers. The announcement of the broadband stimulus package is also likely to make a signifi cant difference to take-up and penetration, once its effects fi lter through. 2008 was a tough operating year for broadband. The six months at the start of the year in particular saw low growth and low net additions almost across the board. The fi rst quarter is traditionally a tougher quarter than Q4, so it is not surprising to see low percentage growth rates, however all these regions could still have tough times ahead. Broadband subscriber additions in Latin America and South and East Asia are also looking healthy. Both regions are dominated by two big players, Brazil and Mexico, and China and India, respectively. When these countries do well, their regions do well. All four countries suffered a slowdown in late 2008, but only in relative terms, and all seem to have returned close to or above their previous performance levels. Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa and Asia-Pacifi c all show mixed trends. All these regions had countries that fared reasonably well and others that have suffered. While broadband subscriber additions looked shaky at the start of 2009 for Europe and Japan, the real stand-outs in Q1 2009 are the USA with China, Bra-zil and, to a lesser extent, Canada also looking strong. Brazil, Russia, India and China (the BRIC countries) saw much slower growth later in 2008 than earlier. Digital Subscriber Links (DSL) continue to lose market share to other broadband technologies. It is a slow decline but the evidence is that a gradual substi-tution Both the US and Canada show signs of emerging from a period of slow broadband growth. The US has posted two consecutive quarters of strong net addi-tions, is taking place where higher speed technolo-gies are available. Fibre is the only access technology with increases in real numbers not seen since growing from quarter to quarter. Generally, where the three dominant technologies are available, con-sumers early 2007. Recent surveys indicate US consumers place a high value on broadband, and are willing to cut back in other areas to make sure they can get a tend to drift towards fi bre. Aggressive pricing strategies have contributed to this growth. Confronting the Crisis: ICT Stimulus Plans for Economic Growth 71