ITU Report Ranks UK 12th in the World for Fixed Line Broadband Penetration

The International Telecommunication Union‘s (ITU) Broadband Commission has released its first global report into the state of mobile and fixed line broadband ISP deployment worldwide, which includes a country-by-country breakdown that tracks progress towards achieving the UN’s four primary digital development targets.

The Broadband Commission for Digital Development was established by the ITU in May 2010 to help meet the United Nation’s global broadband development targets (listed below) and readers will be pleased to note that the United Kingdom does reasonably well, placing 12th in the world for fixed line broadband penetration and 9th for Mobile Broadband penetration.

The UN’s Top 4 Digital Development Targets

1. Making broadband policy universal.

* By 2015, all countries should have a national broadband plan or strategy or include broadband in their Universal Access / Service Definitions.

2. Making broadband affordable.

* By 2015, entry-level broadband services should be made affordable in developing countries through adequate regulation and market forces (for example, amount to less than 5% of average monthly income).

3. Connecting homes to broadband.

* By 2015, 40% of households in developing countries should have Internet access.

4. Getting people online.

* By 2015, Internet user penetration should reach 60% worldwide, 50% in developing countries and 15% in Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

The new report reveals that household Internet access around the world has seen strong growth over the past 12 month and is “on track to achieve the commission’s target for Connecting Homes to Broadband“. However it also found that “individual Internet use continues to lag behind” and suggests that mobile broadband might be able to provide enough of a boost to get things back on track. Indeed there are already almost twice as many subscriptions via a mobile than fixed broadband connection.

On top of that the ITU revealed that the UK also ranked 15th when it came to measuring countries by the percentage of individuals using the Internet. We scored a reasonable 82%, which placed us just below the likes of Canada and Germany (83%) and above others such as France (79.6%), Japan (79.5%) and the USA (77.9%).

Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, ITU Secretary-General, said:

“Broadband networks and services are transforming our way of life. The Broadband Commission is committed to ensuring that the benefits of broadband are available to all. I am delighted by the dedication and enthusiasm shown by the many senior business leaders and top policy-makers on the Commission to advancing the global broadband policy agenda.”

The full report can be read below.

The State of Broadband 2012: Achieving Digital Inclusion for All (PDF)
http://www.broadbandcommission.org/Documents/bb-annualreport2012.pdf