2004: The year broadband became ordinary in Europe

Broadband will be in a fifth of all Western European homes by the end of this year but the continent's larger economies won't be leading penetration rates.

In a study of the 15 'old' EU member states and Switzerland, it was found broadband penetration only hit 13 to 15 per cent in countries such as Germany, Italy and the UK.

Meanwhile, the likes of Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark are leading the way with high-speed links - split between DSL and cable technology - in close to 30 per cent of homes.

In fourth place is Switzerland and in fifth Sweden, where it is notable that a solid proportion of users can enjoy very high-speed fibre to the home.

Report authors Strategy Analytics attribute the higher rates in some countries to the adoption of 'triple-play' strategies. This generally involves the bundling of voice services with broadband internet access and TV and, while such an approach isn't new, it is only now that headway is being made.

The more advanced economies also have a higher level of competition to incumbent telcos, the study found.