Ultra high speed broadband in residential areas will create a "bandwidth divide", according to an analyst firm.
Gartner has today released a report claiming that over the next three to five years urbanised areas will benefit from increased download speeds, but more rural areas with smaller populations will be left behind.
It defines "Ultra-high-speed broadband" as download speeds of 50Mpbs or more, which Virgin Media is already providing. BT is also not far behind with speeds of up to 40Mbps going through trials.
Fernando Elizalde, principal research analyst at Gartner, said in a statement: "Ultra broadband will exacerbate the digital divide among different world regions, as well as within countries."
"Governments in countries that lag behind in the deployment of ultra broadband will come under increasing pressure to use public funds to upgrade broadband infrastructure to avoid falling behind."
The report said that the ability to download or stream video content will be a major reason consumers are willing to pay more for speedy broadband. As well, sending of user generated content, such as videos or photos, over email and social networking sites, will increase demand.
Elizalde concluded: "Operators must position faster broadband speeds as a premium service to avoid commoditisation of ultra broadband and strike a balance between their need to charge more for faster broadband and consumer willingness to pay for the extra speed."
-
This tech company wants to pay staff to look after their mental and physical wellbeingNews Hot on the heels of its four-day week trial, tech company Thrive is offering staff new incentives to take care of their mental and physical wellbeing.
-
Hacked law firm 'didn't think it was a data breach' – the ICO disagreedNews The ICO has fined DPP Law for failing to report an attack that saw confidential information released on the dark web
-
Power supply shortages are a ticking time bomb for data center operatorsNews Two-fifths (40%) of data centers will face constraints in power availability by 2027.
-
What is 'dark data' and how could it be impacting your cloud migration?Too many businesses are tackling the problem of dark data with additional storage, but this is an expensive and inefficient fix
-
Looking for profit in the Internet of ThingsIn-depth Inside the Enterprise: How can CIOs make the most of the opportunities presented by the Internet of Things?
-
Internet of Things early adopters encouraged by GartnerNews Gartner claims IT leaders that get to grips with IoT early will be best placed to take advantage of emerging business opportunities.
-
Apple on top in smartphone warsNews The iPhone maker led the pack in 2011, thanks to record sales of its mobile device.
-
Apple and Android gain share as Nokia fallsNews Nokia's market share falls to its lowest since 1997, as Apple and Android sees notable gains.
-
Week in Review: Nokia updates Symbian, browser wars kick offNews This week, Symbian gets Nokia's attention whilst the browser giants are at it again.
-
Mobile sales soar as Nokia share fallsNews Nokia is losing more market share, as mobile and smartphone sales rise in 2010.
