Finland just became the first country in the world to make broadband connection a legal right for every citizen.
When the law goes into effect in July 2010, every person in Finland will have the guaranteed right to a one-megabit broadband connection. The government will make a 100 Mb broadband connection a legal right by the end of 2015.
Wikipedia notes that Finland has a population of around 5.3 million with about 1.52 million broadband Internet connections (or around 287 per 1,000 residents.
The new law requires telecom companies to start providing high-speed services across the country. People will still have to pay a monthly fee for that access, but the price of a broadband connection is fairly low. And it’s not compulsory for anyone to have a connection. Some variation will be allowed, if connectivity can be arranged through mobile phone networks.
Cell phone users in the U.S., Spain, and Canada pay more for mobile phone service than cell phone users in other parts of the world, according to a survey published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
On a yearly basis, American cell phone users are spending about $635.85 on cell phone service. Spanish cell phone users pay about $508.26 for the year. And Canadian cell phone subscribers pay about $500.63. By contrast people in the Netherlands and Finland pay the lowest amount for cell phone service, only $131.44 per year. And cell phone users in Sweden only pay $137.94 per year.
In a cross-country comparison of mobile data pricing, ABI Research found The Netherlands, France and Singapore to have among the lowest prices for mobile broadband plans. In France, an unlimited download plan costs just over US$15 per month.
Sixty percent of US households accessed the Internet via broadband in 2008, according to a report just published by analyst firm Strategy Analytics, compared to 95% of South Korean households. This number puts the United States in 20th place worldwide, says the firm.
Parks Associates claims that by 2013 the households globally with broadband internet access will be over 640 million. The firm reports that homes with broadband worldwide grew by over 18% in 2008 exceeding 400 million.
