That's the prediction of research firm Strategy Analytics Inc. for worldwide broadband users a year from now.

The firm projects at the end of 2007 there will be 865.2 million broadband users worldwide, climbing to 1.01 billion at the end of 2008. Users aren't the same as subscribers, of course. At the end of this year, there will be an estimated 336.3 million broadband subscribers, increasing to 391.4 million over the next 12 months.

Table 1: Worldwide BB Users & Subscriptions (2007-2008)

The Asia/Pacific region will count the most users, with more than 60 percent of total broadband users located in "emerging markets" at the end of 2008. DSL will remain the dominant access technology, the firm reckons.

— Michael Harris, Chief Analyst, Cable Digital News