Re: FN-FORUM Viva Modem - OT broadband growth

date posted 8th September 2002 14:56

>Mmm, only 9% of UK households (who access the internet at all - plenty
>don't), does it say what the figures are for business - probably a not
>dis-similar figure??

The trouble with all these quotes (and Computing's campaign) about how much
the UK lags is that it ignores the most obvious point: cable TV penetration
is far lower here than in many western countries. The great majority of
houses in Germany are on cable, hence the decision to go broadband is a lot
less daunting for them (and presumably much cheaper too). Hence growth
rates in the UK/Germany, eg, are only comparable in a very very broad sense
as you're arguing about structural change in quite different markets.
Useful for lobbyists, but not very helpful for policymaking.

An occasional statistician writes...