Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2003 09:03:57 +0530
From: Subbiah Arunachalam
Friends:
Almost everyone in Belgium - at least 98% of them - have broadband access
of 3Mbps or better! Up to six times faster than the service available in
France or Britain. Where do we stand in India? Even our research
scientists cannot boast of such bandwidth. Let us do something about it
and quickly. Our scientists deserve it. Regards.
Arun
-Original Message-----
From: Andy Carvin [mailto:acarvin@benton.org]
Subject: Competition spurs broadband in Europe (fwd)
Also from today's Benton headlines.... -ac
COMPETITION SPURS BROADBAND IN EUROPE
A new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development
suggests that European countries that promote competition among telecom
and
cable providers show faster adoption of broadband Internet services. The
report warned governments against propping up the telecom industry in
exchange for broadband build-out. "Incumbent operators are using their
economic influence on governments to say, 'If you are nice to us we will
deliver broadband,' but what the OECD numbers show is that competition
between operators is what delivers broadband," said Ewan Sutherland,
director general of the Brussels-based International Telecommunications
Users Group. Evidence shows that Germany, once the leader in broadband
growth, has been overtaken by the more competitive environment in
Belgium,
where 98 percent of the country has access to at least 3Mbps service - up
to
six times faster than the transmissions available in France or Britain.
The
United States has fallen from 3rd to 10th in the OECD rankings, primarily
because the prices and speeds offered by phone companies have not matched
those offered by cable. Asian countries have used government subsidies to
stimulate the markets have resulted in additional competition and lower
prices, allowing the region to take the lead in broadband deployment.
SOURCE: E-Commerce News; AUTHORL Jennifer L. Schenker
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/31231.html
