ITU INTERNET REPORTS:

BIRTH OF BROADBAND

Executive Summary

September 2003
INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION

This Executive Summary provides a brief rsum of the ITU report Birth of Broadband,
which has been specially prepared for the ITU TELECOM World 2003 Exhibition and Forum,
to be held in Geneva, 12-18 October 2003. It includes a selection of charts, tables and boxes as
well as a table of contents of the full report, which can be purchased online or in printed copy.
This report is the latest in the ITU Internet Reports series, which includes the following titles:

Internet for a Mobile Generation (2002)

IP Telephony (2001)

Internet for Development (1999)

Challenges to the Network: Telecommunications and the Internet (1997)

Each of these publications is available for purchase online from the ITU website at
www.itu.int/osg/spu, for CHF 100. Printed copies are also available from the ITU Sales Service
(Fax: +41 22 730 51 94, e-mail: [email protected]), with reductions for ITU Member States and
Sectors Members, and for purchasers from the least developed countries (LDC).
The full report (approximately 130 pages) gives an in-depth introduction to broadband and its
effect on telecommunications around the world. It contains information on the latest broadband
technologies and policy developments. Individual country case studies serve to illustrate these
various aspects. A 60-page statistical annex to the report presents the latest available data on
over 200 economies worldwide.
The report was prepared by a team from ITUs Strategy and Policy Unit (SPU) with assistance
from the ITU Sectors and the General Secretariat. Much of the original research, including nine
country case studies, was carried out for two workshops carried out under the ITU SecretaryGenerals New Initiatives Programme, with generous funding from a number of ITU Member
States, including MPHPT Japan and MIC Korea. These workshops were held in Geneva on
Regulatory Implications of Broadband (May 2001) and on Promoting Broadband
(April 2003). For copies of the case studies, see the ITU website at www.itu.int/casestudies.
The views expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of ITU or its membership.

ITU, 2003
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Geneva

Foreword to the 2003 ITU Internet Report: Birth of Broadband

Birth of Broadband is the fifth in the series of the ITU Internet Reports, originally
launched in 1997 under the title Challenges to the Network. This edition has been
specially prepared for the ITU TELECOM World 2003 Exhibition and Forum, to be held
in Geneva from 12 to 18 October 2003. As one of the hot topics of the
telecommunication industry in 2003, broadband is expected to be one of the highlights of
this years show. This new report examines the emergence of high-speed, dedicated
Internet connections that will greatly expand the worlds access to information.
Broadband will also facilitate the long-expected convergence of three previously distinct
technologies: computing, communications and broadcasting.
The introductory chapter of the report, Broadband dreams, explains what broadband can
do for users, society and industry. Chapter two, Technologies for broadband, explains the
different broadband technologies and how each can provide broadband access under
different economic and network conditions. Chapter three, Supplying broadband, looks at
how broadband has been successfully provided in certain economies and how certain
policies can help expand the network. Chapter four, Using broadband, discusses the
current and emerging applications that are driving broadband take-up along with
applications and content models that show the most promise for the future. Chapter five,
Regulatory and policy aspects, examines regulatory and policy frameworks in successful
broadband markets. Chapter six, Promoting broadband, looks at the broadband
experiences of several countries characterized by high penetration rates and extensive
networks, including conclusions drawn from ITU country case studies on broadband, and
examines why and how broadband should be actively promoted. Chapter seven,
Broadband and the information society, looks at broadband as a component of a society
built around ubiquitous access to information, including some of the benefits and pitfalls
of total connectivity. The Statistical annex contains data and charts covering 206
economies worldwide, with original data on broadband and comparative information
measured against a selection of variables. The Executive Summary, published separately,
provides a rsum of the full report, focusing on each of the chapters.
ITU, the United Nations specialized agency for telecommunications, is committed to
playing a positive role in the development of the information society and to extending the
benefits of advances in telephony and new information and communication technologies
(ICT), such as broadband, to all the worlds inhabitants. This is in line with the Resolution
of the highest administrative organ of ITU (Resolution 101 of the Plenipotentiary
Conference (Minneapolis, 1998)), which calls upon ITU to fully embrace the
opportunities for telecommunication development that arise from the growth of IP-based
services, and subsequent ongoing calls from ITUs Member States to continue to actively
pursue this objective. The ITU Internet Reports are hopefully a significant contribution to
that commitment.

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

Broadband Dreams

Like most technology-driven industries, the telecommunication sector has historically

been characterized by steady growth punctuated by an occasional leap forward, usually
when a new technology is introduced. In the latter part of the twentieth century, the almost
simultaneous arrival of two major innovationsmobile phones and the Internetnot only
changed the face of communications, but also gave fresh impetus for economic growth.
However, as these innovations reach saturationin the developed world at leastthe
search is on for possible drivers for a new wave of innovation and growth.
In the 2002 edition of ITU Internet Reports, Internet for a Mobile Generation, we
examined the likelihood that the coming together of the Internet and mobile
communications will provide a major future driver for growth. This convergence of
mobile and Internet technologies still seems likely to come to such fruition, though the
indications are that it will take longer than expected. But in the meantime, a new
technology is emerging that promises to provide a unifying platform for three converging
industrial sectors: computing, communications and broadcasting. That technology is
broadband, and it is the subject of this report. The title Birth of Broadband reflects the
view that broadband is still just at the start of its growth cycle, with the main phase of
market expansion still to come.
Because of the nature of broadband (you have to use it to understand the benefits it
offers), market take-off requires a certain critical mass of users. Currently, around one in
every ten Internet subscribers worldwide has a dedicated broadband connection (see
Figure 1, top chart), though many more share the benefits of high-speed Internet access,
for instance, through a local area network (LAN), at work or at school. The world leader
for broadband is the Republic of Korea (Figure 1, lower chart), which is around three
years ahead of the global average in terms of converting Internet users to broadband.
There, a critical mass was attained as early as 2000, when prices fell below US$ 25 per
month; from which point onwards take-off was rapid (see Figure 1, bottom chart). Over
93 per cent of Internet subscribers in Korea use broadband (see Table on page 20).
Around the world, there were around 63 million broadband subscribers at the start of
2003 compared with 1.13 billion fixed-line users and 1.16 billion mobile phone users.
Broadband users enjoy a range of service speeds from 256 kbit/s up to 100 Mbit/s. The
number of subscribers is growing rapidly, with a 72 per cent increase during 2002. Digital
subscriber line (DSL) is currently the most commonly deployed platform, followed by
cable modems, Ethernet local area networks (LAN), fixed-wireless access, wireless LANs
(WLAN), satellite and other technologies. The vast majority of todays users are in the
developed world. But even among member countries of the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD), there are large disparities, not only in service
availability but also in terms of quality of access and price per Mbit/s. But in developing
countries, as broadband becomes cheaper, and wireless technologies evolve, broadband
adoption can help countries to leapfrog traditional telephony technologies, as already
illustrated in a number of initiatives.
4

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

Figure 1: Broadband penetration

Broadband and Internet use, w orld, millions
700
10.7%

Internet

600

7.4%

Broadband
500
400
300

1.4%
0.3%

200
100

4.0%

Broadband as % of Internet
users

0%
0%

0%

1995

1996

0
1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

Broadband penetration, subs per 100 inhabitants, by technology, 2002

Korea (Rep.)

21.3

Hong Kong, China

14.9

Canada

11.2

Taiw an, China

9.4

Denmark

8.6

Belgium

8.4

Iceland

8.4

Sw eden

7.2

Japan

7.1

United States

Finland

Other

6.9

Austria

Singapore

Cable

7.8

Netherlands

Sw itzerland

DSL

6.6
6.3
5.5
5.3

Source: ITU World Telecommunication Indicators Database.

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

Broadband Technologies

The term broadband is like a moving target. Internet access speeds are increasing
all the time. As technology improves, even ITUs recommended speeds will soon be
considered too slow.
Although most people have heard of broadband, few know exactly how they might define
it. Broadband is often associated with a particular speed or set of services, but in reality
the term broadband is like a moving target. Internet access speeds are increasing all the
time. One can therefore only really talk about the current state of broadband, and make
tentative extrapolations, based on planned or incipient developments, that may or may not
come to fruition in the future.
Broadband is commonly used to describe recent Internet connections that are significantly
faster than todays dial-up technologies, but it is not a specific speed or service.
Recommendation I.113 of the ITU Standardization Sector defines broadband as a
transmission capacity that is faster than primary rate ISDN, at 1.5 or 2.0 Mbit/s.
Elsewhere, broadband is considered to correspond to transmission speeds equal to or
greater than 256 kbit/s, and some operators even label basic rate ISDN (at 144 kbit/s) as a
type of broadband. In this report, while not defining broadband specifically, 256 kbit/s
is generally taken as the minimum speed.
The real gift of broadband is the greater scope it provides for developing applications and
services, whether by enhancing existing ones, or enabling new ones. The availability of
broadband depends primarily on existing networks, which vary according to the legacy
infrastructure. For developed countries and urban areas for example, wireline
technologies, based around twisted pair or coaxial cable, are already in place. In
developing countries and rural areas, other newer technologies, based around wireless or
satellite, may be more practical and cost-effective. Fibre offers the best possibilities for
the longer term. Cultural, political, geographical, economic or other factors also play an
important role, as do the regulatory framework and the supporting institutional
arrangements.
Wired connections account for the vast majority (over 98 per cent) of current
connectionsalthough wireless technologies are starting to grow quickly. Of the fixedline connections, digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable modem technologies are the most
popular (see Figure 2, top chart). Until 2000, the majority of broadband users were using
cable modems, and this is still the most popular form of access in North America. But
worldwide, ADSL now accounts for more than half the connections, being particularly
popular in Asia and Western Europe.
Where fixed-line connections are not so readily available or convenient to use, a number
of wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi have been gaining in popularity too. While the full
Birth of Broadband Report describes each of these wired and wireless technologies in
detail, an overview of the different characteristics of the main technologies are given in
the table in Figure 2.
6

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

Figure 2: Broadband technologies

Penetration by technology
Broadband Penetration, by technology, m illions
70
60

Other

50

DSL

40

Cable

30
20
10
0
1999

2000

2001

2002

Various broadband technologies, summary

Wired
ADSL(G.dmt)
ADSL(G.lite)
SHDSL
ADSL2
ADSL2plus
VDSL
Cable
Fibre
Wireless
802.11b (Wi-Fi)
802.11a
802.11g
802.11e
802.16 (WiMax)
RadioLAN
HomeRF
HomeRF2
HiperLAN2
HiperMAN
Bluetooth
Infrared LAN

Speed
Mbit/s
8
1.5
4.6
8
16
52
30
10000
11
54
54
54
70
10
1
10
54
NA
1
4

Range Notes
medium Guaranteed bandwidth, uses splitter
medium Longer distances, slower
medium Symmetric, fast
medium No split, improved ADSL
medium Increased bandwidth of ADSL2
short High speed, short distances
long Fast, shares capacity among users
long Very high speed, optical
100 m Most popular and widespread
50 m Newer, faster, higher frequency
100 m Fast, backwards compatible with Wi-Fi
NA Adds QoS not present in a,b,or g.
50 km QoS, Very long distance, Metro net
35 m Specializes in wireless bridges
50 m Replaced by HomeRF2
100 m QoS, better encryption, not widespread
150 m European standard, QoS, for voice/video
50 km European, compatible with 802.16a
10 m Personal area network [not WLAN]
20 m Same room only

Source: ITU.
Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

Supplying Broadband

Broadband is increasingly seen as a catalyst for economic success. Supplying

broadband is therefore an issue for both the private and public sectors.
Broadband is increasingly being seen as a catalyst for economic success in the
information economy. More and more economies are focused on ensuring that access to
broadband is both available and affordable to their populations. In many developed
economies, broadband access has been driven largely by the private sectorparticularly
where effective competition is present in the marketand supported by government
intervention only when necessary to correct market failure. But other governments,
especially in Asia, have developed national strategies for broadband promotion, and for
bringing broadband to regions, or to communities, that would not be among the first to be
served through the operation of market forces.
Many different companies have entered the broadband arena, but in the majority of ITU
Member States, the incumbent fixed-line operator has emerged as the dominant provider,
though not always the first-mover in the market. Those countries that have prospered
often have a deep-pocketed second carrier that provides a real competitive challenge to the
incumbent, such as Hanaro Telecom in Korea or Yahoo BB! in Japan. Countries where no
cable TV network is available, or where the incumbent cross-owns both the telephone and
cable TV networks, generally lag behind their counterparts in developing broadband.
As of year-end 2002, broadband services were commercially available in 82 out of
over 200 economies worldwide (Figure 3, top chart). Since 2000, global broadband
numbers have increased fivefold and now stand at over 60 million. As might be expected,
penetration rates are quite closely correlated with gross national income (GNI) per capita
(Figure 3, lower chart), although Korea is a clear outlier in this relationship.
As broadband is entering the market at a time of technological convergence and change,
supply models can vary considerably. Some end users even build their own fibre
connections to their ISP. Typically, such initiativesusually involving large companies or
public institutions like schools and hospitalsaim to avoid the high costs associated with
premium high-speed services from established broadband providers.
Under this model, a fibre consortium may be established, consisting of a group of
customers who each own a predetermined number of dark-fibre strands within a fibre
optic cable. Each customer is responsible for providing the electronics to light up the
fibre, effectively creating separate private networks, which can then be connected to the
backbone network. In practice, third-party professionals may carry out installation and
maintenance. In Canada, this model has been deployed in the province of Quebec, where
26 school boards and the regional university research network have entered into
arrangements with a number of providers. The model is also gaining in popularity among
others wanting to avoid the high cost of commercial solutions. But supply has to be
adapted to actual demand, and this requires market research to meet users real needs.
8

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

Figure 3: Broadband penetration

Countries with commercially available broadband, (dark shading), 2002

The relationship between broadband penetration and national income (US$ PPP)
Broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants, by GNI (PPP) per capita, 2002
25
KOR
y = 0.0171e0.0002x
R2 = 0.4577

20

15
HKG
10

BEL CANDNK
ISL
JPN NDL
CHE

KNA EST
VCT
VEN

SGP
AUT
MAC
GBR
DEU
SVN
ESP ITA
FIN
PRT ISR
AUS
MLT

USA

NOR

0
$0

$5'000

$10'000 $15'000 $20'000

$25'000

$30'000 $35'000

$40'000

Source: ITU. Note: GNI = Gross National Income; PPP = Purchasing Power Parities,
Luxembourg omitted from bottom graph but included in trend line calculations.
Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

Using Broadband

The Internet has already spawned the creation of a host of new applications and these
are spreading from computers to other devices. Broadband accelerates this process.
Having examined the development of broadband infrastructure and technologies, and the
challenges involved in providing the service at a reasonable price, the next question to be
posed is what to do with it? In short, how is broadband used today, and what are the
implications for future uses, for market development and for users?
The Internet has already spawned the creation of a host of new applications, including
web surfing, instant messaging, file sharing, e-commerce and e-mail. With the advent of
broadband and its faster always-on connections, the possibilities for the development of
such services are growing dramatically, opening the path to interactive applications,
especially online games, virtual reality and other high-quality digital services.
Broadband arrives at a time when the revolutionary potential of the Internet has still to be
fully tapped, and is serving to accelerate the process of integrating Internet technologies
into everyday life. This growth in itself has numerous implications for issues such as
intellectual property rights (IPR) and security, as more and more material is made
available in digital form. It also comes at a time of technological convergence, so that
computer applications are now spreading to other devices (mobile phones, television sets,
etc.), and vice versa (for instance, entertainment on computers) (see Box 1).
The report provides an overview of current and future applications for broadband
technologies, including consumer-oriented services such as Internet browsing, voice
services (e.g. voice over broadband or Internet Protocol), entertainment and information
supply. Specific public domain services are also examined, including e-government,
e-education and e-medicine, as well as e-commerce and business uses.
Broadband usage is of course interlinked with content and the evolution of models for the
development and distribution of online contentraising associated regulatory and ethical
issuesand possible bottlenecks in the commercialization and distribution of broadband
services. These aspects are also examined in the report.
As regards Internet content, for example, IPR concerns enter strongly into play. With
Internet content, the established IPR system has had to grapple with new areas of media
diffusion. The IPR framework is being readapted, but much more work and negotiation
will be necessary. With broadband, the type and quantity of content exchanged globally is
set to increase drastically, raising the stakes even higher. In particular, since the wellknown Napster case came to a head in 2000 over free music downloads; peer-to-peer
(P2P) technologies have been seen as a threat by the commercial entertainment industry.
This problem is becoming even more apparent as broadband services allow a faster
exchange of large files, allowing download of whole albums or even movies. The music
industry alone claimed a loss of about 7 per cent in 2002 due to swapping of digital music,
and the same is feared by the film and software industries.

10

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

Box 1: Internet TV and home networking in Japan

In the broadband era, personal computers and personal digital assistants (PDA) are not the only
types of terminal for accessing the Internet. Since the advent of higher-speed networks,
manufacturers have been developing various broadband terminals, which are thus far being
used by only a minority of subscribers. Examples include video game consoles, Internet
television (TV) appliances, set-top boxes (STB) and home servers.
In Japan, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications
(MPHPT) latest annual random sample survey concluded that there were 3.64 million people
who accessed the Internet either from their game console or from a television set in 2002,
although the precise number of units in use is not known. Internet TVs started to emerge in
1999 in Japan, but the products available at the time did not attract many consumers. However,
technology has evolved since then and the user interface has also improved substantially while
prices have fallen.
Sony's Airboard was one of the first products and it provided a state-of-the-art wireless video
device at the time of launch. Improvements added over the past three years culminated in the
IDT-LF3 version, which was released in January 2003. Airboard was created as a wireless
Internet tablet rather than as audiovisual equipment.
Compliant with the IEEE 802.11b Wi-Fi standard, it can be connected to the Internet at up to
11 Mbit/s. The device can be used almost anywhere (within a 30-metre radius) in the home or
garden and even in the bathroom (with a protective cover). One can watch TV as well as
capturing video images of choice from the programmes one watches for printing or sending on
as e-mail attachments. The battery life is currently quite short, but with improvements expected
in the near future, devices like these will certainly change the way an increasing number of
people use video information.
An STB is defined as a device that is connected to a TV, permitting access to various content,
including pay-per-view. Although there are many possible uses, STBs can also be used for
broadband content distribution. Broadband subscribers can watch broadband video programmes
on their TV with an STB. In Japan, BB Cable TV, for example, offers STBs to its subscribers
as does the fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) service provider, Bbit-Japan. One of the main benefits to
subscribers with STB is that they can enjoy higher quality video than those with only a PC.
A new development in 2002 was the emergence of home servers, comprising an integrated PC,
DVD, TV, etc. Sharps Personal server (named HG-01S), launched in February 2003, is one
example. It can interconnect a PC, mobile phone, TV, and other appliances. This device even
enables the user to access their home network when absent from home, for example by setting
the video timer via their mobile phone or watching recorded TV programmes on their PC.
Source: ITU case study on Broadband in Japan, at: http://www.itu.int/sgo/spu/casestudies/.

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

11

Regulatory and Policy Aspects

Market opening by itself has often not been sufficient to bring about the development
of meaningful competition. There is still a tendency for the incumbent to dominate.
Like other communications technologies, broadband raises a number of regulatory and
policy issues. For example, should governments regulate broadband? What policy
instruments are best suited to promoting competition? Research seems to indicate that
where both the private and the public sectors interact to create the right framework,
broadband growth makes greater headway. Tethered by government regulations and
guidelines that are geared to fostering a healthy level of competition, broadband operators
can still grow their services and networks profitably. Similarly, by lifting or modifying
certain restrictive regulatory practices, governments can considerably boost the supply
and demand cycle. From there, a virtuous circle of social gain and economic growth can
emerge.
In addition to competition trends and policies, this part of the report looks at, inter alia,
how regulation can facilitate the market entry of new broadband providers, ensure fair
competition in the marketplace and promote near-universal broadband service provision.
In spite of the trend towards market liberalization, especially in broadband services, there
still remain significant concerns as to the true extent of meaningful competition in
communications markets worldwide. Figure 4 (top chart) shows levels of competition
across different sectors worldwide.
With broadband, one notable trend has been for incumbents to continue to dominate in
markets where they have been allowed to compete alongside new entrants, and this is also
true for historically competitive markets such as mobile and Internet services. In 2002,
incumbents operating in member countries of the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) controlled more than 80 per cent of the
broadband access market, while those in the European Union (EU) controlled more than
90 per cent of the broadband market (see Figure 4, lower chart).
These figures corroborate the reality that, even in countries where telecommunications
markets have been liberalized, market opening by itself has not been sufficient to bring
about the development of meaningful competition. Of course, this in part reflects
commercial realities such as limited market size, lack of economic stability, and poor
returns on investment, as well as the recent collapse in investor confidence, all of which
affect new players ability to compete effectively with an established incumbent operator.
But it also reflects current government processes for setting competition policy. In this
context, it has become increasingly important for countries to have the necessary policies
and institutions in place to deal effectively with the increasing quantity and complexity of
competition issues that are retarding the development of meaningful competition. Once
the policy environment is right, then it can then be left up to the dynamic between
business and consumers to determine the pace and direction of broadband market
development.

12

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

Figure 4: Broadband competition

Competition across different ICT market sectors
Monopoly

Competition
88%

82%

79%

69%

65%
52% 48%

46%

54%
35%
21%

Local
services

Leased
lines

Cellular

18%

31%

12%

Cable TV

ISPs

xDSL

Cable data

Incumbents still have the largest market shares in the European Union
Breakdow n of DSL lines by type of provider, EU, March 2003, per cent
EU Average
UK
Sw eden
Spain
Portugal
Netherlands
Luxembourg
Italy
Ireland
Germany
France
Finland
Denmark
Belgium
Austria
0%

Incumbent
Reseller
ULL

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Note:
ULL = Unbundling the local loop.
Sources: ITU World Telecommunication Regulatory Database, ECTA.

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

13

Promoting Broadband

It is one thing to perceive the pressing need to promote broadband, and another to
engage actively and successfully in its promotion.
In reality, there is more than one answer to the question of why it is worth promoting
broadband. On a general level, analysis consistently shows that economies that actively
pursue promotion of new technologies most often fare better in terms of access, economic
gain and technological impact. Broadband is no exception to this. Analysis also shows
that consumers often remain ignorant about the benefits they might gain by switching to
broadband, and need some convincing of what is in it for them.
For governments, broadband is a way of promoting economic development and certain
social benefits. For instance, in the Republic of Korea and Hong Kong, China, which are
currently the leading broadband economies, telecommunication expenditure as a
percentage of GDP grew up to three times faster in the last ten years than the global
average. As many countries have also experienced, broadband can also facilitate the
provision of public services, such as e-learning, e-health and e-government.
For telecommunication companies, broadband offers a route to offset the current
slowdown in the industry. In the Republic of Korea, the average revenue per user (ARPU)
for a broadband user is up to seven times higher than for a narrowband user. For
consumers, broadband makes possible a much wider and richer range of applications,
especially when higher speed services are available. For instance, in a user survey in
Japan, 70 per cent of users reported that broadband had increased their usage of the
Internet. And in Iceland, some 40 foreign television channels are broadcast over the
broadband network, greatly widening the choice of services available.
For businesses, in particular small- and medium-sized enterprises, broadband brings the
advantages of access to high-speed communications, and the ability to reach a worldwide
audience that were previously only available to larger companies. Broadband also adds
flexibility to the workplace through teleworking and remote network access at fast speeds.
Prices play perhaps the most important role in promoting broadband demand. Successful
broadband economies are characterized by low pricestypically as a result of flourishing
competition and innovative pricing schemes that attract a wide variety of customers. As
price plays such a vital role in users adoption decisions, it is vital to understand how
policies that reduce prices increase broadband penetration.
It is one thing to perceive the pressing need to promote broadband, however, and another
to engage in its promotion actively and with success. This is where the experiences of
economies that have done so provide valuable keys to what works, and what doesnt. For
broadband growth and development, success factors vary from country to country. One
thing that is clear though, is that those countries that tackle both supply and demand issues
have had most success in raising availability of broadband and in the quality and choice of
services. Judging from the experience of the most successful broadband economies, a
proactive approach to broadband promotion is certainly one of the keys to success. Box 2
on Estonia, describes its successful broadband promotion strategy in schools.
14

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

Box 2: Estonia: Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright

Broadband in education: Far-reaching benefits
Estonia launched the Tiger Leap National Programme in 1996 in an effort to make a
developmental leap by introducing information and communication technologies (ICT) into
secondary schools. The targets were to achieve the ratio of one PC per 20 students, an Internet
connection to each school, and basic computer training for all teachers. Today, the programme
has accomplished most of its goals. Through Tiger Leap, 75 per cent of all Estonian schools
have broadband Internet connections and the remaining schools have a dial-up option. More
than 63 per cent of teachers have received training courses, acquired basic computer skills, and
have been given guidance in using contemporary ICTs in teaching.
Investment in IT education and the promotion of broadband access in Estonian schools has
been a significant factor in spreading the use of ICTs more broadly, beyond the boundaries of
the education system. The programme has attracted considerable backing from local
governments, the private sector and international investors, and has helped to shape Estonia's
progressive reputation. Today, 35 per cent of the Estonian population uses the Internet, 38 per
cent uses personal computers, and 18 per cent have their own home computers. Furthermore, 90
per cent of government agencies computers are connected to the Internet. These figures place
Estonia as the leader in usage of IT in upper-middle income countries (see chart). Estonias
broadband penetration (at 3.4 subscribers per 100 inhabitants in 2002) ranks it among the world
leaders.
Some six years after the introduction of Tiger Leap, a new generation of Estonians, accustomed
to fast information access and equipped with ICT skills, is reaching university level. As these
students grow older and continue to demand fast access to information in different areas of their
lives, the demand for ICT-related competence can be expected to continue its rapid growth.
Internet users per 100 inhabitants, upper-m iddle incom e economies, 2002
41.3

Estonia
Malta

32.9

30.8

Malaysia
24.6

Czech Republic

23.8

Chile
Puerto Rico

20.8

Croatia

16.3

Slovak Republic

16.0

Dominica

16.0

Hungary

15.8

Source: International Bureau of Education (2002) http://www.ibe.unesco.org.; NDP Estonia

(2002) http://www.undp.ee/tigerleap/2.html.
Note: 2002 Internet users data in italics are estimated figures.
Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

15

Broadband and the Information Society

Broadbands particular promise is in its capacity to enable multiple applications over a

single network, and the related economic gainsmeaning greater access at lower cost.
The weaving together of digital networks and information with the social networks of the
twenty-first century has implications for everyone. No matter how we choose to define the
information society, there are many unanswered questions about how, and why, we
should promote developments that give an increasingly central place to the use of
information and communication technologies (ICTs) in our lives. Box 3 looks at some of
the history of the information society vision, and some of the initiatives taken to build it.
In industrialized countries and especially developing countries, there is a pressing need to
address the persistent exclusion of people, in some geographical areas and social groups,
who are marginalized with regard to access to ICTs and the knowledge and skills to use
them (i.e. the digital divide). Technological innovation alone is not enough to ensure a
sustainable, growth-oriented information society. It takes multi-stakeholder cooperation.
While broadband is only one among many technologies present on the scene, its particular
promiseviewed through an information society lenslies in two areas: First,
broadbands capacity to enable multiple applications (voice communicationsfor
example using voice over broadband, Internet applications, and television/video and audio
applications) over a single network. Second, the related economic gains, which also
translate into lower costs for consumers. With increased data transfer and speeds, as well
as the effects of competition among service providers; the tendency is for prices to drop,
bringing access to information closer to more of the worlds population. As well as these
particular features of broadband, network security and ethical issues are among the topics
addressed in this part of the report, as are particular examples of how broadband can help
or pose risks to developed and developing societies in the transition to a global
information society.
In some contexts, wireless broadband may hold particular promise. Hotspots (e.g. in
airports, hotels, cafs) are now being expanded to create whole urban areas with wireless
coverage. Although these initiatives are only in their incipient phases, organizations such
as the United Nations have begun to embrace the potential that wireless technologies, such
as Wireless LANs, may hold for developing countries, where basic wireline
infrastructures are often lacking. As pointed out by the UN Secretary-General, Kofi
Annan, it is precisely in places where no infrastructure exists that Wi-Fi can be
particularly effective, helping countries to leapfrog generations of telecommunications
technology and infrastructure and empower their people.
As well as stand-alone initiatives though, standardization efforts are essential to
harmonize interfaces and protocols between networks and to ensure network security.
Governments and industry are already actively involved in such standardization activities,
including through ITU. Coordination of the radio frequency spectrum also requires strong
international cooperation, as does research and development (R&D), the cornerstone of
future technological development. In these and other areas, international cooperation is an
essential prerequisite to realize any kind of global vision of the information society.
16

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

Box 3: From technological innovation to a knowledge-based society

As well as numerous initiatives to set out visions for the information society, an emphasis on
the need to foster knowledge-driven economies to underpin inclusive information societies
began to gain currency in policy circles in the late 1990s. The European Union set targets for
becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-driven region in the world. In the
United Kingdom, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) gave priority to building the
knowledge-driven economy in a White Paper published towards the end of the decade. In the
United States, there were strong hopes that investment in new economy services would
continue to boom and that there would be substantial economic benefits from investment in
digital technologies. The World Banks 1998/99 Development Report made a strong case for
greater investment in knowledge as a means of tackling poverty and a range of persistent
development problems.
Discussions about the growing importance of knowledge accumulation and absorption were
often accompanied by assertions about the impact of rapid innovations in ICTs and of
increasing investment in digital networks and their applications. Many acknowledged that the
new technological tools could have both positive and negative social and economic
consequences. It was also recognized that there might not be a straightforward relationship
between investment in digital technologies and services and positive gains for economies or
social welfare. Nevertheless, the mobilization of concerned stakeholders around the problems
posed by knowledge-driven growth continues to emphasize the technical and economic features
of these developments over the social and cultural features.
The rush to develop information society visions and knowledge-driven economy strategies has
not been limited to the industrialized countries. For instance, the United Nations Economic
Commission for Africa developed the Africa Information Society Initiative (AISI); Singapore
developed its Intelligent Island vision and others such as South Africa also developed their
own visions and strategies. In the hope department, many experts have argued that ICTs
would provide the opportunity for the developing world to leapfrog over generations of
technology and catch-up withor occasionally even surpasswealthy countries in the
industrialized world. Just as the end of the dot.com boom abruptly curtailed many utopian
dreams, contemporary economic realities have tempered idealism. More positively perhaps,
visions are now more inclusive of progressive patterns of technological development and of
local adaptation of ICTs into individual cultures.
The creation of the G8 Digital Opportunities Task (DOT) Force and the decision to hold a
United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), under the leadership of
ITU, are indicators of the significance of these developments at the highest levels. Most
participants in these, and many related forums admit today that social considerations are as
important as the economic and technological dynamics of emerging information societies.
More information on the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), to be held in two
phases in Geneva in 2003, and in Tunis in 2005, can be found at the website:
http://www.itu.int/wsis. In addition to full information on the Summit and its working
documents, the site also offers background resources; research papers; links to worldwide
information society initiatives, ICT success stories, interest groups and organizations; press
materials, and specialized documentation on specific subject areas.
Source: Adapted from The nature of the information society: an industrialized world
perspective, in Visions of the Information Society (ITU, 2003). More information can be
found at: http://www.itu.int/visions.
Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

17

Birth of broadband: Birth of a new information era?

By mid-2002, with more than 60 million households and businesses actually subscribing
to broadband, and other people accessing it through cybercafs or from connections at
work or at school, it was estimated that operational broadband networks had a reach of
well over 300 million people around the world. In certain markets, broadband is predicted
to be one of the fastest-growing communications-based consumer services. In the United
States, broadband is likely to reach the 25 per cent penetration mark more quickly than
either PCs or mobile telephones did (see Figure 5).
Despite the overall growth in broadband penetration, certain economies have enjoyed
more success than others. Most economies are still struggling to realize nationwide access
principally because broadband network deployment comes with high fixed costs.
Although much of the technology is available to provide broadband access on a scale
matching that of fixed telephony, the availability of broadband has lagged behind
especially in developing economies.
Case study research, as well as information provided by ITU Member States, service
providers and regulators worldwide (see, for instance, Box 4 on India), shows that with
sufficient commitment, and with careful attention to users needs, and to cultural and
economic contexts, governments and industry can interact to promote and diffuse
broadband to the benefit of all. The encouraging signs are that, thanks to innovation and
the adaptability of technologies to local circumstances, broadband can serve to widen
access to knowledge and information .
Figure 5: Growth in broadband penetration in the United States
US broadband growth has far outstripped mobile growth in the four years after
reaching 2.5 million subscribers.
US Broadband and mobile grow th, m illions
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

Broadband (1999-2002)
Mobile (1989-1992)

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Source: ITU World Telecommunications Indicators Database.

18

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

Year 4

Box 4: Railway lines lead to broadband access in rural India

Using excess capacity on existing signalling cable in India
India has one of the world's most widespread and dense rail networks with 8000 train
stations nationwide and an average distance of only eight kilometres between them.
One approach to expanding access that has been applied in India, is to allow winning
bidders for fixed-line services to convert their licences to wireless local loop (WLL)
licences, which has led to the use of the railway network to provide Internet access.
In a plan launched in 2000, the Railroad Internet project aims to make use of some
65000 kilometres of underused cable infrastructure already in place. This signalling
cable (which is usually copper based, although fibre is used on several main routes)
runs along the train tracks and has large amounts of spare capacity. It will be used to
transmit Internet traffic to outlying areas, avoiding laying a new cable network.

Under the project, it is envisioned to set up special cybercaf kiosks (providing

community Internet access and ticket services) at each train station, with computers
networked together and linked up to the railway cable. The speed of the connections
will vary according to the quality of cable segments. The railway system can link up
to the standard telephone network through high-speed digital links at major towns.
There is also the possibility of providing wireless Internet access within a 10 km
radius of each station.
The project is being piloted in a small area along 40 km of railway track linking the
southern towns of Vijaywada and Guntur. This initial phase has been launched
through cooperation between Indian Railways (State owned) and private investors.
Wide-scale rollout may however be delayed by regulatory issues, an unsure electrical
supply, and bureaucratic processes.
Sources: Indian Railways (2001), http://www.indianrailways.com; BBC (2000), Fast track for
Indian Internet, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/769635.stm.

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

19

Statistical Annex: Broadband prices per 100 kbit/s, top 30 as % of monthly income
Measured by gross national income -GNI, and using purchasing power parities - PPP
Subscription/ Price per 100
Download
100 kbit/s as %
Economy
month (US$) kbit/s (US$) Speed (kbit/s) monthly income
Japan
$24.19
$0.09
26'000
< 0.01%
Korea (Rep.)
$49.23
$0.25
20'000
0.02%
Belgium
$34.41
$1.15
3'000
0.05%
Hong Kong, China
$38.21
$1.27
3'000
0.06%
Singapore
$33.18
$2.21
1'500
0.11%
United States
$52.99
$3.53
1'500
0.12%
Canada
$32.48
$3.25
1'000
0.14%
Netherlands
$51.55
$3.36
1'536
0.15%
Macao, China
$38.34
$2.56
1'500
0.16%
New Zealand
$40.61
$2.71
1'500
0.16%
Germany
$33.93
$4.42
768
0.20%
Norway
$46.16
$6.56
704
0.22%
Denmark
$118.89
$5.81
2'048
0.24%
Israel
$20.40
$3.98
512
0.25%
Austria
$45.20
$5.89
768
0.25%
Slovenia
$79.54
$3.88
2'048
0.26%
Italy
$73.59
$6.13
1'200
0.29%
United Kingdom
$32.59
$6.37
512
0.30%
Finland
$165.89
$8.10
2'048
0.38%
Bahamas
$54.99
$5.37
1'024
0.40%
Luxembourg
$91.77
$17.92
512
0.42%
Sweden
$44.56
$8.91
500
0.43%
Switzerland
$57.84
$11.30
512
0.43%
Australia
$50.56
$9.87
512
0.44%
France
$51.46
$10.05
512
0.46%
Ireland
$61.69
$12.05
512
0.52%
Portugal
$39.64
$7.74
512
0.54%
Cyprus
$58.03
$9.07
640
0.60%
Iceland
$73.66
$14.39
512
0.60%
Lithuania
$12.80
$5.00
256
0.61%

20

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

Statistical Annex: Broadband subscribers, top 30, world, 2002

Total subscribers, penetration rate, and as percentage of all Internet subscribers

Economy
Korea (Rep.)
Hong Kong, China
Canada
Taiwan, China
Denmark
Iceland
Belgium
Sweden
Netherlands
Japan
United States
Austria
Switzerland
Singapore
Finland
Malta
Germany
Macao, China
St. Kitts and Nevis
Estonia
Slovenia
Spain
Portugal
France
United Kingdom
Israel
Norway
Italy
Australia
New Zealand

Broadband Broadband
Internet Broadband as
subscribers subs per 100 subscribers
% of all
(total)
inhabitants
(total)
Internet subs
10'128'000
21.3
10'784'678
93.9
1'009'426
14.9
2'374'332
42.5
3'515'000
11.2 5'624'000
50.4
2'100'000
9.4
7'441'994
28.2
462'000
8.6
2'441'044
18.9
24'270
8.4
50'000
20.8
870'000
8.4
1'694'384
51.3
700'000
7.8 2'849'000
12.5
1'170'000
7.2
4'500'000
26.0
9'092'039
7.1
29'562'509
30.8
19'881'549
6.9 70'000'000
18.3
539'500
6.6
1'200'000
45.0
460'000
6.3
2'550'000
18.0
230'357
5.5
927'000
16.3
273'500
5.3
950'000
5.5
17'679
4.5
60'000
15.3
3'240'000
3.9 15'000'000
14.0
16'954
3.9
47'016
36.1
1'700
3.6
4'600
37.0
45'700
3.4
121'000
37.8
56'735
2.8
280'000
2.0
1'077'405
2.6 3'673'959
11.7
259'491
2.5
5'165'057
5.0
1'456'000
2.4
8'925'000
16.3
1'370'000
2.3
13'100'000
10.5
135'000
2.0
956'000
4.2
88'541
1.9 1'235'596
7.2
850'000
1.5 5'800'000

283'600
1.4
4'600'000
6.2
43'500
1.1
660'000
2.6

Note: Numbers in italics represent 2001 or latest available data. These tables are extracts
from the ITU Broadband Index included in the full Birth of Broadband Report. The Index
measures, inter alia, how each of 206 economies is faring in terms of broadband
penetration. Comparative charts are used to illustrate the findings.
Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

21

ITU INTERNET REPORTS: BIRTH OF BROADBAND

Table of Contents
Foreword
Glossary
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
Chapter one: Broadband Dreams
1.1 What will broadband do for me?
1.2 What will broadband do for society?
1.3 What will broadband do for the industry?
1.4 Structure of the report
Chapter Two: Technologies For Broadband
2.1 What is broadband?
2.2 Fixed-line infrastructure
2.3 Wireless
2.4 Other broadband technologies
2.5 Technology choices
2.6 Conclusion
Chapter Three: Supplying Broadband
3.1 Broadband supply and demand
3.2 Current trends
3.3 Corporate strategies
3.4 The role of government
3.5 Conclusion
Chapter Four: Using Broadband
4.1 How broadband is used
4.2 Consumer-oriented services
4.3 Public services
4.4 Business applications
4.5 Content
4.6 Conclusion
Chapter Five: Regulatory and Policy Aspects
5.1 Trends in broadband competition
5.2 The need for effective regulation
5.3 Facilitating market entry
5.4 Ensuring fair competition
5.5 Universal service
5.6 Conclusion

22

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

(Table of Contents cont.)

Chapter Six: Promoting Broadband
6.1 Promotion and growth
6.2 Why promote broadband?
6.3 Success factors for broadband: what drives successful broadband takeup?
6.4 Promoting demand
6.5 Promoting broadband supply
6.6 Conclusion
Chapter Seven: Broadband and the Information Society
7.1 Technology and information for a knowledge-based society
7.2 The impact of broadband
7.3 Developmental perspectivesaccessibility, affordability and universal
service
7.4 International cooperation to make it happen?
7.5 Conclusion
Broadband Statistical Annex : Table of Contents
Introduction
List of economies
Statistical tables
1. Basic indicators
2. Broadband subscribers
3. Information technology
4. Internet usage
5. International connectivity
6. Main telephone lines
7. Mobile subscribers
8. Network penetration
9. International Internet bandwidth
10. Broadband prices
11. Top 20 broadband providers
Technical Notes

Birth of Broadband: Executive Summary

23