Greatest access to gigabit networks is in the United States, Singapore and South Korea
A new report tracking the progress and availability of gigabit broadband deployments shows there was a 72% increase in global deployments since August 2016. The report, called the Gigabit Monitor, was published by network test, monitoring and assurance vendor Viavi, formerly called JDSU.
Key findings of the include:
- 219 million people have access to gigabit internet speeds, which is about 3% of the global population
- There are currently 603 gigabit deployments around the world
- The U.S. has 57% of deployments, followed by Europe with 26% and Asia with 7%
- Australia has 4% of deployments, the Middle East has 3% Africa has 2% and South America has 1% of global gigabit broadband networks
Viavi’s CTO Sameh Yamany weighed in on the market growth and looked head to role emerging technologies will play in future growth: “2016 was a turning point for gigabit connectivity, as many cities around the world reached the point whereby gigabit internet was available to most of its residents. Yet the gigabit revolution shows no signs of cooling down in 2017. As bandwidth increases, so does consumer appetite for it. Likewise new business models have been quick to take advantage of new bandwidth, as we’ve seen with streaming video and audio in the recent past – and which we believe will continue in the near future with VR, AR and the internet of things.”
The report found that 91% of current deployment are fiber-based, with the remainder comprised of cellular, Wi-Fi and hybrid fiber-coaxial cabling. The authors project that as more gigabit LTE networks, such as Telstra’s in Australia, come online, there will be significant growth in that segment. As for 5G, which is seeing huge investment despite still progressing through the standardization process, Viavi tallies 25 operators conducting lab tests, with 12 of those moving into field trials.
