The next time you complain about your telecommunications bill think about this: only 40 percent of the world’s population is online. Why? Cost. In developing nations broadband costs about one month’s wages. For most people reading this, the cost is a mere 1.5 percent per month. But we know that a lack of connectivity means a lack of economic progress.
It is repeated like a mantra, but it is a fact that for every 10 percent increase in broadband penetration, there is a 0.9 to 1.5 percent increase Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth according to the World Bank and others.
Explore the April 2015 Issue
Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.
The “Broadband Economy”
We live in a broadband economy. Broadband makes business, institutions and government more productive – meaning they can do more with the same resources because of the knowledge, interchange and transactions that broadband makes possible.
Smart Schools
In Peru, Gilat connects 42,000 rural schools via satellite for the Ministry of Education to provide Internet access, video collaboration and IPTV. In Brazil, Internet access is extended to thousands of rural schools and municipalities using 500 Mbps of satellite capacity.
In India, a nation on the rise, Hughes Network Systems enables the Edusat Network. In 14 states, a government hub connects to state-run schools and colleges, which are growing at a rate of 5,000 sites per year.
