VoIP keeps getting hotter and hotter, surprisingly so because it’s a pretty well-established technology by now. First, Om has two excellent round-ups of two flurries in the VoIP market. One area of activity is around mobile VoIP search, sparked by Google’s filing yesterday for a mobile VoIP search patent. The second is a mini-wave of VoIP merger mania typified by Skype’s purchase of Sonorit Holdings for $27 million.
This rise in VoIP tech development and acquisition activity goes along with growing awareness of VoIP among U.S. and U.K. consumers. According to a recent Harris Interactive survey, the percentage of U.S. consumers who are aware of VoIP is 51%, up from 36% nine months ago. In the U.K., the percentage of consumers aware of VoIP is 46%, up from 37% nine months ago.
Posted by Cynthia Brumfield at 11:58 AM | Print | Comments (0)
Politicians and policy advocates center much of their debates on telecom reform on where the U.S. ranks globally in terms of broadband penetration. Some commenters say the U.S. is 19th in the world, or 20th in the world, or some other shameful level given the economic might and wealth of America.
Now, the OECD has come out with its latest global broadband penetration rankings and it seems that the picture has brightened somewhat for the U.S., which is now 12th globally in broadband penetration. The U.S., which has 16.8 broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants, is ahead of the U.K., which has 15.9 broadband subscribers for every 100 inhabitants, but behind Japan, which has 17.6 broadband subscribers for every 100 inhabitants.
| Broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants, by technology, December 2005 | ||||||
| DSL | Cable | Other | Total | Rank | Total Subscribers | |
| Iceland | 25.9 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 26.7 | 1 | 78 017 |
| Korea | 13.6 | 8.3 | 3.4 | 25.4 | 2 | 12 190 711 |
| Netherlands | 15.7 | 9.6 | 0 | 25.3 | 3 | 4 113 573 |
| Denmark | 15.3 | 7.2 | 2.5 | 25 | 4 | 1 350 415 |
| Switzerland | 14.7 | 8 | 0.4 | 23.1 | 5 | 1 725 446 |
| Finland | 19.5 | 2.8 | 0.1 | 22.5 | 6 | 1 174 200 |
| Norway* | 17.8 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 21.9 | 7 | 1 006 766 |
| Canada | 10.1 | 10.8 | 0.1 | 21.9 | 8 | 6 706 699 |
| Sweden* | 13.3 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 20.3 | 9 | 1 830 000 |
| Belgium | 11.3 | 7 | 0 | 18.3 | 10 | 1 902 739 |
| Japan | 11.3 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 17.6 | 11 | 22 515 091 |
| United States | 6.5 | 9 | 1.3 | 16.8 | 12 | 49 391 060 |
| *preliminary estimates | ||||||
| Source: OECD | ||||||
Posted by Cynthia Brumfield at 10:08 AM | Print | Comments (0)
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