Tempe AZ--March 24, 2003 - Forward Concepts has announced the publication of a comprehensive, worldwide study of the increasingly competitive and economically important DSL and Cable Modem Broadband markets and technologies. The new report, "Broadband in the Local Loop: Global Edition" provides a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the broadband markets in over 50 countries. The report includes a detailed review of the broadband progress of the major telecommunications and cable operators in each country through 2002, and projects subscriber growth through 2006 for each country. The report also provides worldwide forecasts for total subscriber growth, subscriber revenues, equipment revenues and semiconductor revenues.

The report points out that the market for DSL and Cable Modem equipment and semiconductors has gone through a high-tech boom-and-bust cycle from 2000 through 2002. Fortunately, it is now emerging into a new phase of opportunity for exciting new products. Beginning in 2003, new equipment and chips incorporating the latest ADSL2, ADSL2+ and DOCSIS 2.0 standards will begin to have a significant impact on the market and on the capability of system operators to offer advanced triple-play, voice, video and data services.

"This global broadband report is unique in the depth of its cataloging of subscribers in over 50 counties and the sophistication of its forecasting of subscriber growth in future years," said Stewart Sando, Forward Concepts Senior Consultant and the report's author. "The actual operating results of hundred's of telecommunications and cable operators in the many countries with active broadband services were compiled and matched with country-by-country data on households, phone households, personal computer users and Internet subscribers to provide a solid basis for our individual forecasts. In addition, the national broadband goals, company strategies, head-to-head DSL and Cable Modem competition and eventual broadband subscriber market saturation were taken into account for each country. The resulting bottoms-up forecasts and the accompanying country-by-country commentary provide one of the most detailed and useful strategic planning resources for broadband executives available anywhere, today."

The report concludes that the global market for DSL and Cable Broadband has grown dramatically from only 14 million subscribers in 2000 to over 57 million in 2002. The report indicates that although growth rates will moderate somewhat, the number of DSL and Cable Broadband subscribers will still exceed 192 million by the end of 2006. The report also projects that the resulting subscriber revenues will exceed $80 billion annually by 2006. This revenue growth opportunity represents a key strategic objective for the telecom companies and cable operators competing for broadband subscriber market share in the increasingly deregulated and competitive communications marketplace. With traditional phone revenues declining, cellular markets saturating and telephone and cable companies looking for new sources of growth, broadband revenues are becoming a strategic imperative.

By 2006, the report forecasts that the global DSL and Cable Modem equipment market will exceed $4 billion and the broadband-specific semiconductor market will exceed $800 million. The report catalogs the major equipment suppliers and provides a detailed description of chipsets from each of the key chip suppliers.

The report presents an historical review of DSL and Cable Modem broadband technologies, complete with easy-to-follow diagrams, and provides a detailed analysis of the new emerging standards and their impact on advanced broadband service offerings.

The 235-page report, "Broadband in the Local Loop: Global Edition" includes 105 figures and 37 in-depth tables and is priced at $2,750.00 in North America. The report is available from Forward Concepts, 1575 W. University Dr. #111, Tempe, AZ 85281 [Tel: 480-968-3759, Fax: 480-968-7145, email: info@fwdconcepts.com].

Details of the report are available on the company's website at http://www.fwdconcepts.com

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