Tuesday, September 20, 2011

A Global Broadband Conundrum

In a post a few weeks ago, I discussed the growing broadbandaccess divide between urban and rural areas in the United States. Some believe it’s imperative that access be expanded to rural areas to bridge the information gap and improve economic opportunities. Others feel the focus should be on improving the quality of access in more densely populated areas.

A report issued this week by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) adds a new layer to that discussion. According to the report, the broadband access gap between countries is also increasing. South Korea sits at the top of the list in terms of communication technology, followed by several European nations.

The United States dropped three spots in this year's report, coming in at number 17. According to the ITU, the U.S. has lower, "penetration rates for mobile cellular subscriptions and households with computer and Internet."

The average American citizen averages 27Megabits/second of Internet bandwidth to their name. In comparison, the average European citizen has an estimated 77 Mb/s. Pretty substantial.

Now the questions becomes the following: If the United States is to try and keep up--or even improve--on a global level, what is the best strategy? Is it better to extend broadband access within the U.S. to these remote areas, or is the country better served by improving the infrastructure where the majority of people are clustered? Who’s the better customer? Of particular importance is the age of these potential target markets. Younger people are more likely to adapt to technology.

What’s your perspective?

Labels: Fixed Wireless Broadband, Rural Broadband, Rural Broadband Access