[Air-l] Down to the Wire

[Andy Williamson]

Interesting you should say that. I've just been writing up some research for
a client and that was one of the questions I had... However, as I dug deeper
it got more interesting...

All the rhetoric shouts 'broadband good, dial up bad' but the punter, it
seems remains unconvinced. Certainly here in New Zealand we had very high
levels of Internet adoption with dial-up, which have now levelled off
somewhere around the average post-industrial level (who knows what it really
is as every shiny marketer and politician gives you a different number and
none are plausible). 

However, our broadband uptake is very low - somewhere between about 7 and
10%. Research is indicating that the reason for this is not cost (it costs
double but doesn't tie up a phone line, so it's the same cost of dialup plus
a second line) or access (about 95% of NZ population has broadband access if
you include satellite options). 

No, the 'problem' is us - the stupid user - we simply don't see sufficient
value in having a broadband connection. It must be the warm summer we've had
but the Emperor is parading around unclad. And nothing the ISPs and TelCo's
can do - even down to free install and free adsl modem - is changing our
minds. The uptake remains very slow.

Are we competetively disadvantaged by this. According to NZ Trade and
Enterprise (the govt department leading the ideological charge for all
things ICT or biotech), yes. According to our current trade statistics...
Er.... No.

Andy

-----Original Message-----
From: air-l-aoir.org-bounces at listserv.aoir.org
[mailto:air-l-aoir.org-bounces at listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Ellis Godard
Sent: Tuesday, 3 May 2005 18:37
To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
Cc: 'Digital Divide Network'; 'AOIR'
Subject: RE: [Air-l] Down to the Wire

Eh... Is there good data (heck, *any* data) that broadband increases growth,
productivity, or quality of life?

-eg 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: air-l-aoir.org-bounces at listserv.aoir.org
> [mailto:air-l-aoir.org-bounces at listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Miraj 
> Khaled
> Sent: Monday, May 02, 2005 10:55 PM
> To: techiemik at yahoo.com
> Cc: Digital Divide Network; AOIR
> Subject: [Air-l] Down to the Wire
> 
> 
> Down to the Wire
> http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20050501faessay84311/thomas-bleh
a/down-to-the-wire.html

Summary: Once a leader in Internet innovation, the
United States has fallen far behind Japan and other
Asian states in deploying broadband and the latest
mobile-phone technology. This lag will cost it dearly.
By outdoing the United States, Japan and its neighbors
are positioning themselves to be the first states to
reap the benefits of the broadband era: economic
growth, increased productivity, and a better quality
of life.




Miraj Khaled
============
techiemik at yahoo.com
mindexplorer.blogspot.com

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