State of the net

Where are we at the moment?

Telcos, CableTV companies and ISPs are competing to upgrade and control the infrastructure of the net

This is one way to think about "convergence"

There is multimedia convergence in digital content

There is technical convergence that allows digital media to be carried on common pipes (phone and cable wires)

There is cross-media convergence in entertainment, communications, publishing, and computer industries

These three sectors of the communications industry are also competing to bring the net into the home

They are competing to solve the "last mile" problem

The major pipes that carry data across the net are analogous to high pressure fire hoses

The line that goes into your home now is like a straw

The last mile is the telecom "pot of gold"

Who will connect to the home and how will they do it?

Copper wire Fiber optics TV cable

Wireless Satellite Electrical wiring

Telecommunications companies are racing to lay fiber across the US and around the globe

Qwest Communications recently claimed to be laying more fiber in 1998-99 than ATT has put in the ground in the last decade

Several companies are competing to lay trans-oceanic cables

Iridium, Teledesic and other companies are completing their rings of satellites to allow global wireless communications

Satellite service providers now offer wireless internet through a dish

Another way of asking this is how many people are there on the Internet?

One interesting source of net demographics is the Internet Statistics Generator at Anamorph

If the number of people using the Internet were to keep doubling every year, then on November 9, 1998:

There would be 226,932,649 people using the Internet
(This represents 3.78 % of the world's population)

Nua claims that the global online population breaks down as follows:

Compiled by Nua Internet Surveys
World Total 148 million
Africa 0.80 million
Asia/Pacific 23.71 million
Europe 33.25 million
Middle East 0.78 million
Canada & USA 87 million
South America 4.5 million

According to the June 1998 Commercenet/Neilsen survey, of the 220 million people over the age of 16 in the US & Canada:

35% are using the Internet <79 million people>

Of all net users, 43% are women <33.9 million women>

68.3% are on the WWW <54 million people>

73% of WWW users search for information about products and services <48 million people>

30.6% have purchased online <20 million people>

64% of on-line shoppers and 71% of purchasers are men

The Industry Standard reports that 2.7 million kids ages 2 to 12 were online in 1997

This is expected to increase to 20.9 million by 2002

Part of the increase is due to the pending release of US federal funds to wire schools

School Internet access also will be hastened by educators who realize that the Web is an integral part of the educational curriculum.

Percent of kids with home online access who are online


1997 2002
Age 2-4 14% 24%
Age 5-9 25% 43%
Age 10-12 36% 54%

Source: Jupiter Communications
http://www.jup.com/

This page prepared by Howard Rosenbaum Last update: 11.12.98
You are here: http://memex.lib.indiana.edu/hrosenba/www/Pres/iolug/inet1.html


Onwards!