The government in Iran has banned broadband and limited the speed of internet access to 128k. Iran has recently clamped down on the use of satellite dishes, which Iranians use to watch western TV.
Iran has five million internet users. The ban seems to be an attempt to make it harder for Iranian internet users from downloading western music, movies and TV shows.
For more information, see the Guardian report on the issue.
A study by Intelecon Research claims that 90% of the world’s population could have mobile coverage by 2010. It is estimated that approximately 80% of the world’s population currently has mobile coverage, but only 40% (2 billion people) actually have a mobile phone.
It is possible for 100% of the world’s population to have mobile coverage, but governments and mobile operators must do more to help extend networks into rural areas, particularly in developing nations. Many governments collect levies from telecom operators, which is used to extend telecommunication coverage into rural areas. However this usually used to extend the fixed-line network rather than mobile network. Fixed-line networks are far more expensive to build.
According to an EU survey, virtually all European schools have internet access and nearly two thirds are connected via broadband. “Europe is starting to reap the benefits of broadband at schools where the foundations are laid for a knowledge-based society,” Viviane Reding, the EU Information Society Commissioner said in a statement.
Europe is behind the US in terms of broadband access though. 95% of public schools in the US have broadband access.
Broadband access in schools is not consistent across European member states. 90% of schools in Scandinavia and the Netherlands have broadband access, the figure is less than 35% in Greece, Poland, Cyprus, and Lithuania.
An average of 10 students share a computer across Europe, compared with only 4 in the US. The UK leads Europe for the number of schools using computers in class for teaching, with 96% doing so.
The Carphone Warehouse is set to expand into the USA, according to some industry insiders. A deal with American firm Best Buy will allow Carphone Warehouse to sell mobile handsets through its retail stores. It will also allow Carphone Warhouse to use Best Buy’s broadband technical support, called the Geek Squad. This will help alleviate TalkTalk’s (part of Carphone Warehouse) problems with complaints about a lack of support for its broadband service.
China is on the verge of becoming the biggest broadband country in the world according to consulting firm Ovum. The current leader is the USA, with 51 million subscribers. Broadband connections in China are increasing at a massive 79% per year and are expected to reach 79 million by 2007.
“We believe that China’s broadband development will continue to benefit from a booming economy, growing incomes, expanding PC penetration and new applications such as VoIP and IPTV. The Olympics will provide another boost,” said Kevin Lee, senior analyst at Ovum’s Hong Kong office.
DSL (Digital Line Subscriber) will be main platform, unlike the US where most broadband connections are cable. This is similar to the UK, where all broadband providers apart from Telewest and NTL use a DSL line.
China’s continuing economic growth and relative prosperity are helping drive the population to broadband.
The EU has agreed with German regulators that the Deutsche Telekom broadband network must be opened up to competition. Germany suffers from low broadband penetration. Only 12.5% of German households have broadband access. Whilst this is ahead of the EU average of 11.5%, it is well being countries like the UK which has approximately 42% broadband penetration.
The EU has also stated that Deutsche Telekom should open up its new VDSL network. VDSL offers super fast broadband speeds of up to 52Mb (approx double the fast speed possible in the UK). Deutsche Telekom is investing 3 billion Euros in the new network and had hoped that it would be exempt for 3 years so that it can recoup its investment.
For further information, visit EU portal Europa.eu