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