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performance and progress against specific targets.
In US broadband news, it was announced September 29 that expanding broadband usage throughout the United States will require subsidies and investment in infrastructure upgrades of as much as $350 billion. An FCC task force assigned to investigate the costs associated with extending broadband to underserved areas in the US found that the range of investment needed for extended service is between 20 and 350 billion USD. By contrast, President Obama set aside a relatively small 7.2 billion USD for broadband development in the economic stimulus plan. According to Reuters, the panel went on to state that approximately 1/3 of US households have access to broadband, but have not subscribed, and another 4 percent have no access at all.
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Broadband may be on the brink of a big surge in Thailand. |
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test the mettle of its potential LTE vendors, which include Alcatel-Lucent, NEC, Nokia Siemens, Huawei, Ericsson, and ZTE. The trials will take place in the UK, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Argentina, and Brazil. While LTE has been in the news lately, it has been firms in the US and Japan that have been the most bullish about the technology. The Spanish provider’s work extends that LTE enthusiasm to Europe and Latin America in one fell swoop.
Bharti and MTN have abandoned merger plans recently reported in Pipeline. The merger of the Indian and South African wireless carriers would have created one of the world’s largest wireless companies. Bharti has stated that resistance from the South African government is at the heart of the botched
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Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, broadband may be on the brink of a big surge in Thailand. Pyramid Research is reporting that upcoming 3G and WiMax license awards will boost internet connectivity in Thailand, which will actually cause incumbents to lower prices and boost speeds. At around $20 per user, ARPU in Thailand is already on par with South Korea, according to the report. That’s in spite of the fact that South Korea has a higher per capita income.
Telefonica has revealed plans for a large-scale LTE trial that will cover six countries in Europe and Latin America. The trials are intended to
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merger. The two companies attempted a similar union in 2008, only to be rebuffed by the South African government that go-round as well. Well. As a fan of the Chicago Cubs, I can only say “there’s always next year.”
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