PARIS, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The number of broadband subscribers in developed countries has reached 217 million by June 2009, a 10-percent year-on-year increase, according to statistics released Friday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

    Among the 30 OECD members, the United States took first place with 81 million broadband subscribers. Japan took second place with 30 million subscribers, followed by Germany and France.

    Regarding the rate of individuals utilizing broadband services, the Netherlands ranked first with a broadband penetration rate of 38.1 percent, while the United States had the most subscribers but the lowest penetration rate of only 26.7 percent.

    Fiber-optic networks are regarded as the biggest propeller for high-speed broadband Internet, as nearly one in 10 OECD subscribers currently access the Internet over fiber.

    South Korea and Japan are leading in the use of fiber access, with rates of individuals utilizing fiber access of 51 percent and46 percent, respectively.

    The OECD regards broadband services as part of economic infrastructure.