Comments on: The latest country comparisons in that key economic driver: broadband speed

By: Ross Dawson

Ross Dawson — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:40:15 +0000

:-) you’re right Brett – penetration is more important than speed. But speed is also significant – I will see what other research has been done on this.

By: Brett Glass

Brett Glass — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:42:32 +0000

Your graph proves my point. It is penetration, not speed, that matters.

By: Ross Dawson

Ross Dawson — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:04:11 +0000

Yes the data is not that reliable, but it gives a pretty fair indication of the country rankings in broadband speed. In fact I'm not aware of better data. There are in fact dozens of studies showing how bandwidth impacts economic growth. I've pointed to a couple here: https://bit.ly/9RDnbX

By: Brett Glass

Brett Glass — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:23:08 +0000

And where is it written that broadband speed is a “key economic driver?”
The answer: Nowhere.
The fact is that no one has demonstrated any advantage to having speeds faster than those fast enough to stream video — the most common bandwidth-intensive legal application.
In short, the premise of the article — as stated in the headline — is not only unproven but highly questionable.
What’s more, the results returned by speedtest.net vary wildly not only from those of other tests but also on the same computer at different times. Not a reliable source.

By: cyberdoyle

cyberdoyle — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:05:42 +0000

interesting stats. Not very comforting to know we are only 40th in the world in the UK but better than being last… Interesting also to note that many can’t take the speed test due to such bad connections. I find once the kids are home all the houses in the village can’t load the test at all. Many more round me are still on dial up and it won’t work on those either. But it will be the same in a lot of countries so the stats will be equally flawed. Great blog.
chris