Key findings

The primary purpose of “Deutschland Online – Getting Connected” is to reveal the current status and future evolution of broadband Internet in Germany. But since the Web is a global phenomenon, we needed to keep the bigger picture in mind – hence, the survey also covers several international aspects of the information society in the triad regions (Europe, United States and Asia). And to present a well-rounded picture, we elected to balance the views of the broadband Internet experts by surveying consumers on the key issues involving broadband Internet, particularly in view of the increasingly active role played by the customer – driven not least by the rapid growth of broadband iInternet itself.

The survey population comprised a total of 142 experts and 14,578 consumers. Experts were selected from companies involved in various segments of the broadband Internet industry, both fixed and mobile, plus the digital lifestyle sector. We also surveyed specialists from a range of public-sector institutions on the social aspects of broadband Internet, and experts from Europe, the United States and Asia for the international part of the survey.

The findings reveal a continuation of the highly dynamic trends that have characterized this sector to date:

• Information and communications technology is already a very significant force in the German economy, and will become much more so in the years ahead. ICT will represent almost 12 percent of German GDP by 2015, nearly double its current level.
• There will be strong growth in the number of broadband connections, with over 21 million connections in 2010, and more than 29 million in 2015. This means that, by 2015, over 80 percent of all German homes will have a broadband Internet connection.
• Rapid growth in bandwidth capacity will continue through 2015.
• Communication, entertainment and e-commerce will be the main uses for broadband Internet.
• The next few years will see a significant rise in user demand for combined broadband Internet services such as quadruple play and triple play.
• Looking ahead, the three biggest challenges for broadband suppliers will involve the quality of customer service, intense price competition and the mobile Internet.
• An excellent fixed and mobile broadband Internet infrastructure will increasingly be a key success factor for broadband Internet providers.
• User-friendly terminal devices and broadband Internet applications will be a high priority for future broadband customers.
• Customer service is extremely important in the broadband world – above all a service that is flexible, fast and professional.
• Quality and service leadership will be central differentiating factors in the competition between broadband Internet providers.
• The core service offered by access providers, i.e. broadband Internet access, will increasingly be complemented by high-quality auxiliary services.
• Mobile broadband Internet access will become a perfectly normal and widely used mode of Internet access.
• Many consumers see the use of mobile broadband Internet applications as emblematic of a contemporary and innovative lifestyle.
• There will be continuous growth in the number of broadband-capable mobile terminals, with over 20 million such devices expected to be in use in Germany by 2015.
• Mobile information services, news and TV are the services most likely to succeed in the mobile broadband Internet market.
• The growth in social networking will continue and will gain extra momentum from innovative broadband Internet applications and increasing mobility.
• Communities, forums, blogs and other Social Web applications will become an essential part of our lives.
• Social changes driven by broadband Internet are going to have an increasing impact on all areas of our lives: work, education and continuing education, and leisure.
• Security will enjoy a high priority. In the context of an increasingly virtual lifestyle, considerable attention will in particular need to be paid to the security concerns of users.
• Broadband Internet will be a significant factor in defining a country as an attractive and competitive business location.
• The information society will no longer be dominated by the United States. Asia and Europe are catching up, and will be practically level with the United States by 2015 at the latest.
• The global growth potential for special broadband Internet applications is very high, especially for communication and entertainment services.