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2012 Olympics to Strain Broadband Networks – Virgin to Provide Free Wi-Fi During London Olympics

The 2012 London Olympics could place a major strain on the existing broadband infrastructure, says the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA). James Blessing, ISPA’s treasurer, said of the London Olympics “There is the potential for a massive hit on the infrastructure.” Sports fans clamoring for their favorite feed will have 24 high definition streams to choose from, says the BBC. To ease the strain, Virgin Media has won the contract to provide free Wi-Fi to subway commuters during the Olympics.

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1.2 Billion Active Mobile Broadband Users – Europe Leads World in Broadband Penetration – December 2011 Bandwidth Report

By the end of 2011, there were over 1.2 billion active users of mobile broadband devices, according to a recent survey. 90% of the world’s population had access to 2G broadband, while 45% of the world had 3G coverage, according to the ITU. Europe leads the world in broadband penetration with fixed and mobile broadband penetration reaching 26% and 54% respectively. The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Denmark lead all countries surveyed in fixed broadband penetration.

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US Broadband Penetration Drops to 27th Place Worldwide – July 2011 Bandwidth Report

In just over a year the US has dropped two places in worldwide broadband rankings. As measured by household usage, broadband penetration in the US dropped from 25th to 27th place worldwide. The US remained at 22nd place in broadband use by population. Qatar jumped two spots to lead Liechtenstein and Luxembourg in household penetration of broadband, while Iceland jumped 2 spots to 3rd place behind Liechtenstein and Luxembourg in broadband penetration by population.

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The Benefits of Broadband – June 2011 Bandwidth Report

The Broadband Commission for Digital Development was created to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals by the target date of 2015, as set by the United Nations. Towards that end, it is essential that countries everywhere are enabled with widespread broadband to reap the economic and social benefits of broadband. This article explores the benefits that broadband brings.

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