Cable and satellite television, 2002

From the early 1950s to the mid-1990s, cable companies were the only businesses offering multi-channel video services, and these services represented much of their revenues. The penetration of cable services grew steadily over the period and peaked in the early 1990s. The introduction of competition from wireless operators has given new life to the industry and its clientele has expanded by more than 20% from 1997 to 2002. Wireless operator companies, which had virtually no customers in 1997, have captured a substantial share of the multi-channel video market. Cable operators have diversified and now play a major role in the Internet access market. Digital technology is gradually displacing analogue technologies.