International

Citation

Blake, M. (2004), "International", The Electronic Library, Vol. 22 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/el.2004.26322aab.002

International

International

Growth of global broadband subscribers in 2002

The number of worldwide broadband subscribers grew 72 per cent in 2002 to approximately 62 million, according to a report issued by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The Republic of Korea leads the way in broadband penetration, with approximately 21 broadband subscribers for every 100 inhabitants. Hong Kong ranks second in the world with nearly 15 broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants, and Canada ranks third with just over 11 broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants. Home users are driving the vast majority of broadband demand in all markets.

"Broadband is arriving at a time when the revolutionary potential of the Internet has still to be fully tapped", said Dr Tim Kelly, head of the Strategy and Policy Unit at ITU. "However, while broadband is accelerating the integration of the Internet into our daily lives, it is not a major industry driver in the same way that mobile cellular and the Internet were in the 1990s. It's an incremental improvement, offering Internet access that is faster, more convenient and cheaper than ever before".

Spam threat to e-mail

The recent explosion of e-mail spam is beginning to take its toll on the Internet world. A new nationwide survey shows that 25 per cent of America's e-mail users say they are using e-mail less because of spam. Within that group, most say that spam has reduced their overall use of e-mail in a big way.

Further, more than half of e-mail users say that spam has made them less trusting of e-mail in general. One of their fears is that legitimate e-mails might be turned away by filters designed to stop spam. Another is that they will simply miss incoming e-mail from friends, family or colleagues amid the clutter of spam in their inboxes.

A new report entitled "Spam: hurting e-mail and degrading the Internet environment", by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, includes scores of stories gathered in a Web-survey by the Washington-based Telecommunications Research & Action Center about how spam has affected people's experience with e-mail and changed their views about the value of e-mail.

"People just love e-mail, and it really bothers them that spam is ruining such a good thing", said Deborah Fallows, Senior Research Fellow at the Pew Internet & American Life Project and author of the report. "People resent spam's intrusions; they are angered by its deceptions; and they are offended by much of the truly disgusting content".

Compiled by Monica Blake