Internet connectivity speed: a challenge and an opportunity

Friday, August 29, 2008

As a followup to the post about the number of Internet users in China as compared to the US, I wanted to provide a link to a recently published survey about Internet speeds in the US as compared to the rest of the world.  The survey is put out by the Communication Workers of America, and it includes results of online speed tests conducted through their Website.  For us, the key fact was that US speeds averaged around 2.3 megabits per second, while users in Japan average 63 mbps(yes, thats 30 times faster than the US).   Other countries highlighted include South Korea (49 mbps), France (17 mbps) and Canada (7.6 mbps).

In e-commerce and Web strategy sessions with US executives trying to figure out how to address the Asian market, it's been my experience that a lot of US IT and marketing folks start from the assumption that Internet connectivity, e-commerce infrastructures and overall user sophistication in the rest of the world are all years behind where they are in the US.  It's important that decision makers realize that the truth is more complicated.  Yes, there are regions where connectivity is slower and e-commerce is harder, but the converse is also true -- there are, as this report shows, many countries that are far ahead of the US in Web infrastructure.  

The CWA is focused on the need to upgrade US Internet access, and that is a legitimate concern.  US business owners and Web decision makers should also recognize the inherent opportunity in a world full of potential consumers who are often at the other end of a really fast connection. 
Posted by: Mark Reichard at 10:05 AM
Tags: E-marketing Strategy, Translation

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