Twenty countries are members of the Convention on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), mainly northern American and European states.In a study released by the OECD, the United States has the largest number of broadband subscribers, yet it falls 14th when it comes to total broadband subscriptions.
In the US, most people are connected to the Internet via DSL. Japan, Korea and Sweden lead the way when it comes to fiber connections. In the US, only 10.1 percent of homes have fiber connections, and it doesn’t look like that number will change anytime soon. In terms of fiber growth, the US ranks below average with countries like Estonia, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Hungry and Turkey surpassing it. Nations like Mexico and Chile are surpassing the US in fiber growth by nearly 250 percent. In Japan, an astounding 76.5 percent of homes already have fiber connections.
Much of the US is accessing the Internet through copper wires, which limits speeds. The OECD found across the world that fiber offers double the download and over 10 times the upload speeds over DSL and cable. The US continues to rely heavily on this outdated technology, and it is taking its toll.
It’s time for the US to increase fiber connections, so the rest of the world doesn’t pass it by. Metro fiber maps, long haul fiber, and fiber lit buildings can help local city officials and Internet service providers make informed decisions for planning new fiber optic networks. If you are interested in obtaining telecommunications GIS data to analyze telecom networks and make business decisions, contact GeoTel Communications at (800) 277-2172.
