Communications Crossroads - Summer 2008 - (Page 13)

telebites ONLINE SHOPPING IS A MIXED BAG FOR CONSUMERS According to recent data from the Pew Internet and American Life project, two-thirds of American Internet users have purchased a product online. Although the online shopping experience gets high marks for convenience and saving time, Americans remain conﬂicted: 75% of Internet users don’t like providing sensitive personal data or credit card numbers, and 58% of consumers have felt either frustrated, confused, or overwhelmed by the online shopping experience. MOBILE BROADBAND ACCESS SOARS IN 2007 comScore, Inc. (www.comscore. com), has released a study showing that the number of computers accessing the Internet via mobile broadband jumped 154% in 2007. Mobile broadband differs from Wi-Fi service, which is based on stationary “hot-spots,” such as those offered for free or for a connection-based access fee at places like diners, coffee shops, airports, or other retailers. Mobile broadband, on the other hand, refers to connections over cellular networks; users pay a subscription fee and can connect to the network through a 3G-enabled laptop, PC card, adapter, or by tethering the connection trough a PDA or cellular phone. ENTERTAINMENT WILL DRIVE BROADBAND SPEEDS 33 Million U.S. households will have 10Mbps or greater broadband connections by 2012, according to industry research group Parks Associates (www. parksassociates.com). Investment in technologies such as FTTx and DOCSIS 3.0 are a key market driver, as are the growing demand for and increased availability of premium entertainment content. Parks Associates’ Yuanzhe Cai, director of broadband and gaming research, said that “service providers will have to deliver appealing, bandwidthintensive, value-added services such as HD video streaming and content placeshifting in order to retain customers and increase average revenue per user.” ONLINE POLITICS The Pew Internet and American Life project has released data indicating that this election cycle, nearly a quarter of adults are logging on to the Internet to follow news of the campaigns and candidates, up from only 13% at the same point in the 2004 campaign season. Young Americans age 18 to 29 are leading that surge, with 42% reporting that they regularly use the Internet to follow politics. Summer 2008 COMMUNICATIONS CROSSROADS 13 http://parksassociates.com http://parksassociates.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Communications Crossroads - Summer 2008

Communications Crossroads - Summer 2008 Up Front Contents TeleBites Delivering the Broadband Future Deriving Revenue from Today's Broadband World The Right Way to Operate Data Centers Buyers' Guide Industry Calendar Advertisers DotCom Index to Advertisers Straight Talk

Communications Crossroads - Summer 2008

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