broadband strategies handbook.pdf - Khazar University

In Afghanistan, for example, years of civil strife destroyed much of theeconomy, shutting down most government institutions, including schools. Aproject sponsored by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has installedbroadband access in universities using satellite technology. 23 This has overcomeshortages of learning materials and teachers since professors and studentscan download teaching information and use online learning tools. InEast Timor, the Australian government has been assisting with the developmentof the new country’s media sector by providing journalists with theability to upload and research news through the establishment of broadbandcenters. 24One notable development in some postconflict countries is the stunningresult of private sector investment in ICTs. Private investors have been willingto take risks in highly unstable environments such as Afghanistan andIraq. Starting from a very low base, these countries now have growing levelsof mobile access and are expanding into wireless broadband solutions. Thecase of Sri Lanka, a country emerging from a decades-long civil conflict, ishighlighted in a broadband study at the end of this chapter.Broadband Experiences in Selected CountriesThis section summarizes the results of various countries’ broadband experiences,as commissioned for the Broadband Strategies Toolkit. 25 Thecountries studied cover a range of regions and development status, asshown in figure 7.6. Additionally, examples of efforts to address supplysideand demand-side issues in each of the studied countries are outlinedin table 7.2.BrazilBrazil is the world’s sixth most populous nation, so unsurprisingly, it isamong the top countries ranked by total number of broadband subscriptions(Jensen 2011). At the end of 2010, Brazil was in ninth position, with 15 millionfixed broadband subscribers as well as 20 million mobile broadbandsubscribers. Despite the size of the Brazilian broadband network, penetrationis relatively low given its large population. Two key constraints includea shortage of fixed broadband infrastructure and wide income disparities inthe country. The level of wireline infrastructure is relatively low for fixedbroadband services. Competition in the fixed telephone line sector is low,and penetration has been falling due to mobile substitution. Fixed broadbandis also available through cable modem, but growth has been limited due318 Broadband Strategies Handbook