A recent report from In-Stat (News - Alert) reveals that customers in the United States consider speed, security and coverage as the prime factors when purchasing customer premise equipment. Surprisingly, the least important factors were brand reputation and environmental friendliness, In-Stat said.

In a release, Joyce Putscher, In-Stat analyst, said “While companies are marketing their ‘green’ equipment features, the message doesn’t appear to be resonating with consumers.”

What consumers want are performance and security, Putscher said.

According to In-Stat’s research, 2008 witnessed the slowest total global broadband (CPE) market growth of the decade -- and the firm predicts that 2009 will be even slower.

Despite these negative facts, select segments of the market are performing better in 2009 than the overall market, In-Stat said. They include Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)-enabled routers and DSL CPE, cable gateways and Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) gateways and Optical Network Terminals (ONTs), and Fixed Wireless Broadband CPE.

The FTTH CPE segment, which includes ONTs and FTTH Gateways, is expected grow 20 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2013.

Asia Pacific leads the fixed wireless broadband (FWB) CPE segment, followed by Europe, according to In-Stat. By 2011, Asia Pacific should capture over 50 percent share of the annual FWB CPE shipments, predicts the agency.

Since there is continued, though slower, rise in the number of residential broadband customers, global installed PC-based home networks is expected to grow by a little more than 19 percent in 2009, the study said.

The research titled “Global Outlook for Broadband CPE through 2013” covers detailed analysis of worldwide market for broadband CPE equipment including Broadband modems/ONTs, Routers, and residential gateways for DSL, cable, Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH), Fixed Wireless Broadband, and Fixed Satellite Broadband.

The study also includes VoIP forecasts for DSL, cable, and router equipment, with a regional breakout for cable E-MTAs.

In-Stat recently released the results of a similar study on the global digital set top box (STB) market. Though the market looked dampened in 2009, it remains a tremendous opportunity for STB manufacturers and technology providers, the study finds. According to the study, the overall digital set top box market grew from 37 million units in 2001 to nearly 190 million units in 2008.