Asia’s broadband divide

There is a high disparity in fixed broadband connectivity in Asia. South Korea has a strong subscriber base of 40 per cent subscribers whereas Myanmar has as low as 0.3 per cent subscribers.

Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and China remain on top whereas India, Indonesia and Pakistan ranks low in terms of broadband adoption. This refers to the startling disparity in broadband connectivity within Asia-Pacific, with high-income countries are experiencing a higher growth rate of broadband penetration relative to other countries.

South Korea continued to have the fastest average connection speed in the region and globally at 29 Mbps followed by Hong Kong at 19.9 Mbps and Japan at 18.2 Mbps. South Korea has 40.2 per 100 inhabitants, China and Hong Kong has 31.9. India stood low despite being one of the most populous with 1.3 per cent even below its immediate neighbours Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Similar is the situation of Indonesia with only 1.1 broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants.

In spite of an increasing spotlight on the transformative capabilities of newer technologies, the Asia-Pacific region still suffers from a lack of Information and Communication Technology connectivity. Therefore the digital divide in the region continues to be one of the largest in the world.

However, the Asia-Pacific region continue to lead the world in average connection speeds with four of the top ten global leaders all found in the region.

As per the latest ITU data for 2015, over 52.3% of the global fixed broadband subscribers come from member countries of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). This is followed by Europe (21.9%) and North America (14.1%).