Robert Jaques reports the remarkable surge of broadband Internet service:
The global number of broadband subscribers grew 72 per cent in 2002 to approximately 62 million, according to a report from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Home users are driving the vast majority of broadband demand.“Broadband is arriving at a time when the revolutionary potential of the internet has still to be fully tapped,” said Dr Tim Kelly, head of the Strategy and Policy Unit at ITU.
But he added that although broadband is accelerating the integration of the internet into our daily lives, it is not a major industry driver in the same way that mobile phones and the internet were in the 1990s.
Strangely, the U.S. is not a leader in this trend:
The Republic of Korea was found to lead the way in broadband penetration, with approximately 21 broadband subscribers for every 100 inhabitants.
Hong Kong ranks second in the world with nearly 15 broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants, and Canada ranks third with just over 11 broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants.
Ironically, I’m looking at the possibility of dropping out of the broadband set. Despite living within ten miles of the headquarters of both MCI and AOL, I’m not going to be able to get DSL access in the new place. Thus, to get broadband, I’ll either have to sign up for cable television and give up DirecTV–and the NFL Sunday Ticket that I’ve already paid for; pay the ridiculous price DirecTV charges for their own internet service (a $500 install and $50 a month or $99 a month without the install); or pay for both DirecTV and cable to get cable modem. Just bizarre.
The other option is WiFi. I’ve read a little bit about that but don’t know whether that’s a viable option. Anyone out there have any clues?
