I ran across an interesting combination of stats today on next-gen broadband networks. First The New York Times had an article on the new Global Information Technology Report stating that the US has one of the best Internet infrastructures in the world. We now rank fourth globally taking into account a wide range of variables including political and regulatory environment. (This is in contrast to recent OECD reports.)
Second, the Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Council released a study showing that 2.91 million homes in North America are connected via end-to-end fiber, up 97% over last year. Verizon leads FTTH deployments with more than 70% of current total fiber connections. However, and this was the third study I saw, many CLECs (Competitive Local Exchange Carriers) are now building out their own last-mile fiber networks. (NPRG reported on growth in a newsletter I saw, but I can’t find an online link.)
Add all of that news to the fact that cable companies are looking more seriously now at fiber, and we have a very interesting picture of broadband in America. There is plenty of room for growth (particularly in rural areas), but apparently there has also been and continues to be significant incentive for network operators to improve broadband connections in the US. I’ll take that as good news.
