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Chinese to Overtake English As Largest Single Internet Userbase by 2015
Published on:
The Unite Nation's Broadband Commission for Digital Development has released its first-ever country-by-country snapshot of the state of broadband deployment worldwide.
The report notes a strong linguistic shift now taking place online. If current growth rates continue, it says, the number of Internet users accessing the Internet predominantly in Chinese will overtake English language users by 2015.
The report reveals that while household Internet access has seen strong growth over the past year and is on track to achieve the Commission's target for Connecting Homes to Broadband, individual Internet use continues to lag behind. ITU analysts believe that mobile broadband could prove the platform for achieving the boost needed to get progress back on track - at end 2011, there were already almost twice as many mobile broadband subscriptions as fixed broadband connections.
"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," said ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré.
The report goes on to outline a variety of ways in which broadband is improving the lives of people around the world, in m-health, distance education and m-learning, via m-payment systems, and in improving the lives of women, promoting innovation and fostering the acquisition of new skills. It also reinforces a clear need for policy leadership to facilitate the deployment of broadband around the world. Today, some 119 countries now have a national broadband plan or policy in place.
Download the full version of the State of Broadband report at: www.broadbandcommission.org/Documents/bb-annualreport2012.pdf
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