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Digital divide is getting bigger
ADSL South Africa (Broadband South Africa), 10 May
2007
It’s apparent from
recent OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) broadband statistics that the digital divide
between developed countries like Ireland, New Zealand, etc., and developing countries like South Africa, is getting
bigger by the
day.
Ok, the good news first…
‘According to the December 2006 OECD broadband statistics the number of broadband
subscribers in the OECD increased by 26%, from 157 million in December 2005 to 197 million in December 2006’ (The
broadband divide widens, MyADSL, 8 May 2007).
In other words, the good news is that 40 000 000 people switched to broadband over
the period stated, a clear indication that worldwide more and more people are switching to broadband.
What’s the bad news?
The bad news is that South Africa’s broadband penetration rate of more or less 1%
really sucks, especially when compared to the average OECD broadband penetration rate of 16.9%.
‘The average broadband penetration rate in the OECD is now standing at 16.9%, an
increase of 3.4% over the 13.5% penetration rate a year ago. South Africa’s broadband penetration rate currently
sits at around 1%, something that has been achieved over 4 years’ (The broadband divide widens, MyADSL, 8 May
2007).
In other words, South Africa is clearly lagging behind others in the broadband race
(and we sure as hell know who to blame for the state of affairs).
Which countries are the clear leaders when it comes to the strongest
per-capita subscriber growth?
Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Ireland.
‘The strongest per-capita subscriber growth over the year comes from Denmark, the
Netherlands, New Zealand, and Ireland. Each country added more than 5.8 subscribers per 100 inhabitants during the
past year. Compare this with South Africa’s yearly growth of less than 0.5% and it becomes clear that the broadband
gap between the developed world and countries like South Africa is widening’ (The broadband divide widens, MyADSL,
8 May 2007).
In other words, developed countries are the clear leaders when it comes to per-capita
subscriber growth.
How are the wireless offerings doing against the fixed line
offerings?
Struggling in general but less in South Africa.
‘Wireless services like iBurst and satellite connections continue to struggle to win
a significant market share in the OECD. Currently 98% of all broadband connections in the OECD, defined as services
with download speeds equal to or faster than 256 kbit/s, are fixed line offerings’ (The broadband divide widens,
MyADSL, 8 May 2007).
In other words, no wonder iBurst is trying its luck more often than
before.
‘In South Africa around half of all broadband connections are wireless which is
mainly due to the high cost and poor service offerings in the fixed line space’ (The broadband divide widens,
MyADSL, 8 May 2007).
In other words, due to Telkom’s ‘high cost and poor service offerings in the
fixed line space’ wireless connections in South Africa is almost on equal footing with the fixed line
connections.
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