International Telecom

摘要

Europe is suffering on the fast broadband front, the European Commission said Wednesday. Itsnlatest digital agenda scoreboard (http://bit.ly/17GPcwy) said Europeans have basic digital networks andnservices, but they're missing out on current and future benefits of the digital revolution because of problemsnin the telecom and wider digital markets. Basic broadband is virtually everywhere in Europe, withnsatellite coverage bringing services to the 4.5 percent of the population not covered by basic fixed broadband,nit said. Broadband at speeds of 30 Mbps or higher reaches 54 percent of the population, and Internetnaccess is increasingly going mobile, it said. But only 2 percent of homes have ultrafast (above 100 Mbps)nbroadband subscriptions, far from the EU target of 50 percent by 2020, the report said. Moreover, half ofnEU citizens have few or no computer skills, it said. Twenty-two percent of Europeans have never tried thenInternet at all, a number that's declining slowly, but 70 percent now go online regularly, it said. Ecommercenis growing steadily, but not cross-border, it said. Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroesnwarned that the EU “can't get stuck playing yesterday's game.” The report said the chief problem is lacknof investment in very fast networks and a continued lack of a real telecommunications single market. ThenEC plans to unveil proposals later this year to create a single telecom market, it said.