1.4 From 2005 to today: Global Coverage, VoIP and Mobile Broadband

From 2005 to today, the percentage of people in industrialized countries accessing the Internet via broadband DSL or cable connections has continued to rise. Additionally, many network operators have started to roll out ADSL2+, and new modems enable download speeds beyond 15 Mbit/s for users living close to a central exchange. VDSL and fiber to the curb/fiber to the home deployments offer even higher data rates. Another trend that has accelerated since 2005 is Voice over IP (VoIP) via a telephone port in the DSL or cable modem router. This effectively circumvents the traditional analog telephone network and traditional network fixed line telephony operators see a steady decline in their customer base.