Despite the GFC and the looming onset of the NBN, ISPs spent around 10 per cent more on DSL gear in 2009 than they did in 2008, Ericsson said in a media statement.

Service providers supplied by Ericsson include iiNet, Internode, TransACT, Primus, TSN, Netspace and Adam Internet. Ericsson estimates that they collectively boosted the industry's DSL capacity by around 100,000 lines.

Most of the equipment they bought was ADSL2+ DSLAMs (DSL access multiplexors that are installed in exchanges) and associated edge-router equipment for traffic aggregation and subscriber management.  

A number of ISPs also experimented with the faster VDSL2 DSLAMs for short-run in-building broadband access, Ericsson said.

"While ISPs are aware that the National Broadband Network is likely to eventually displace the DSL networks, they see a strong business case for continued DSL investments. In the drive for customer acquisition, there is ample time to earn a return on today's DSL networks," said Ericsson Australia broadband strategy manager Colin Goodwin.

He said some ISPs were moving beyond simple Internet access into new services, such as IPTV, in a bid to boost subscriber numbers.