Some interesting stuff on the US lag in broadband

[Russ Smith]

Japan and Korea are now both gettting speeds of ~ 100 MBS and have been for quite some time. US markets are nowhere near that fast, most people are getting 6MBS or less via Cable modem or DSL.

In Japan, the cost per MBS is 1/20th of the cost in the US. So they are getting 15-20 times the speed, for 1/20th the cost!

Q1 2006 Japan had 5.4 million subscribers to fiber to the home, Q2 06 the US had 463,000.

the US is 15th globally in high speed internet penetration(essentially % of homes that have it). The top 5 countries are all Asian.

All this while almost overwhelmingly the companies driving the improvements in speed, are US companies.

http://www.edn.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA6393628&ref=nbednn

skip the ad to read the article.

 

[82CardsGrad]

I have a cable modem. When I move my mouse of the network connection icon in my start tray, it says I have 100mps speed... Is my computer telling me a lie??

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I have a cable modem. When I move my mouse of the network connection icon in my start tray, it says I have 100mps speed... Is my computer telling me a lie??

That is your network card, telling you that is the maximum bandwidth that you are capable of using.

Your computer is lying, kind of.

 

[82CardsGrad]

That is your network card, telling you that is the maximum bandwidth that you are capable of using.

Your computer is lying, kind of.

:kickscomputerinthenuts:

I despise liars...

 

[dreamcastrocks]

:kickscomputerinthenuts:

I despise liars...

3/5

 

[82CardsGrad]

3/5

I tried...

 

[Dback Jon]

One of the things that makes it easier for high-speed penetration in Japan, Korea, etc is the density of the population. Makes putting in fiber optics far cheaper per subscriber.

 

[82CardsGrad]

One of the things that makes it easier for high-speed penetration in Japan, Korea, etc is the density of the population. Makes putting in fiber optics far cheaper per subscriber.

Jon - I have come to learn that you are indeed a worldly man of sorts... But "high-speed penetration", Japanese style?? Dude - I'm in awe...

 

[KloD]

Same story with cell phones. Equipment in the U.S. is far behind that of Africa and many other countries who are just now getting the technology.

Jeez... sometimes it does pay to get to the party late.

 

[Russ Smith]

One of the things that makes it easier for high-speed penetration in Japan, Korea, etc is the density of the population. Makes putting in fiber optics far cheaper per subscriber.

in Japan ISDN was really popular, almost common. When my company started selling DSL chips in Japan they won the market by being the first to come up with a format that worked and avoided the "cross talk" problems with ISDN on so many of the phone lines.

Nowadays when someone gets FTTH, they turn in their DSL modem. So if someone in Japan does sign up for DSL, they get a used modem. Which is why my company is seeing massive declines in revenue, Japan was our big DSL source and they aren't selling many new modems now.

I got my Comcast bill last night, went from 65.41 to 97 something since I moved and went from basic cable to expanded basic(from 40 channels to about 80). That pissed me off so I decided to cancel my cable modem and get DSL from AT&T for 19.99. I checked online and I can't get it. A friend of mine lives across the street from us about a block away and she's had AT&T DSL for 2 years. The place we moved from was also across the street from her and we couldn't get DSL there either. we're in Cupertino, she's in Sunnyvale so apparently that's the distinction, AT&T Dsl in Cupertino is limited.

NO wonder my stock is worthless, in 2007 it's still not easy to get DSL in some places, that Cupertino is one of them is comical given it's a high tech city with major companies like Apple and Symantec headquartered there.

 

[Covert Rain]

Japan is ahead in many things sometimes. A buddy of mine was stationed over in Japan and was watching DVD's before they came to the U.S.

 

[Russ Smith]

Japan is ahead in many things sometimes. A buddy of mine was stationed over in Japan and was watching DVD's before they came to the U.S.

Yep one of the hidden advantages of having so many monsters like Godzilla is they're constantly having to rebuild Tokyo and it has led to a lot of major technological advances.

 

[Chaz]

I have a cable modem. When I move my mouse of the network connection icon in my start tray, it says I have 100mps speed... Is my computer telling me a lie??

The connection from your computer to the modem or router is 100mb/s. It doesn't tell you what the speed from the router or modem to the rest of the internet is.