The number of fixed-broadband subscriptions is expected to reach 500 million this year, according to a new report by Informa Telecoms & Media, largely due to an explosion in emerging markets such as China.

As well as China, Russia, Mexico, India and Vietnam are currently key growth areas in fixed-broadband subscriptions, the report added.

Shane Wright, IT director for eDigitalResearch, said that being able to rely on stable, high-speed broadband all the time will encourage "drastically different" behaviours among people and organisations online.

This may include more flexible working patterns around the world, increased uptake of software-as-a-service offerings and remote support contracts, in which technicians log into users' PCs to fix problems.

Additionally, at a mechanical level, it reduces the need for byte-level optimisation of content, making the overall web experience faster.

"Feature-wise, it means richer content can be served more dynamically and without the prohibitive latencies experienced with non-broadband connections," added Mr Wright.