From gas suppliers, to mobile phone companies, the EU is not afraid of anyone not even the mighty Miscrosoft, one of the largest companies in the world. Research has revealed that the broadband industry in Europe, however, has nothing to fear.

Europeans are signing up for Broadband Deals faster than ever before. High-speed Internet services are growing in popularity because intense competition from broadband providers is continually driving the products exposure in the marketplace to new highs, and prices to new lows.

As a result, it is estimated that up to 8 million UK households will have broadband by 2008. Overall, the rate at which people are signing up to broadband providers is constantly increasing, thanks largely to the high level of competition in the telecoms industry. It seems the EU is right competition is good for consumers.

This feverish competition is forcing telcos to mount aggressive marketing campaigns in order to make consumers aware of their broadband services. At the same time, broadband access has improved on a geographical basis as well as a technical basis, making it available to a larger pool of potential customers. Some telcos are also advertising very high broadband speeds to attract power users. The competition has also led to telcos lowering prices in a bid to undercut rivals.

Because of the real competition between telcos offering broadband, the EU has not interfered on a trade practices level. It has, however, issued a ruling that mobile phone and broadband access is not to become a right for all European citizens. Currently there is a universal service obligation that covers fixed landline telecoms that exists to ensure that every European has access to landline service if they want it. According to the EU, this obligation will not be extended to cover broadband and mobile phone services.

This is of little concern to broadband providers. In some European countries the consumer broadband market is growing by 10% a year. While this is expected to peak in a few years time, there is still a lot of money to be made for the telcos in the immediate future. With the number of online services increasing each year, and film and television programmes soon to be legally streamed into every household with a fast enough broadband deal, the market still has plenty of life left in it.

Lets hope the competition continues, and our monthly broadband bills do not mimic our ever-increasing gas bills.