Analysis of deployments reveal that 219 million people globally now have gigabit internet available to them
Viavi Solutions announced an updated version of Gigabit Monitor, the company’s visual database referencing current and planned gigabit deployments around the world. Analysis of deployments reveals that 219 million people globally now have gigabit internet available to them, equating to roughly 3 percent of the global population. There are currently 603 gigabit internet implementations, a jump of 72 percent since June 2016.
The Gigabit Monitor is a web-based tool intended to showcase the state-of-play of gigabit internet provision across the world, based on publicly available data. This living database is updated regularly, based on deployment announcements and feedback from users. The site has been overhauled since its launch in 2016 to include population coverage estimates, giving a clearer picture of gigabit progress across the world. The following information is based on Viavi’s analysis of that data.
The United States has the highest number of people with access to gigabit internet (56.4 million) with population coverage of 17 percent. Singapore currently has the highest proportion of citizens with gigabit internet availability at 95 percent. South Korea has the second highest number of citizens with gigabit internet availability (46.7 million), representing 93 percent of its population.
Of the current gigabit installations tracked by Gigabit Monitor, unsurprisingly, 91 percent are based on fiber – with cellular connections accounting for 3.65 percent, HFC accounting for 5.26 percent, and WiFi making up less than 1 percent. However, with many launches of gigabit LTE and 5G expected in the near future, the scale of cellular gigabit connectivity is expected to change significantly. This is reflected in Viavi’s State of 5G Trials, which shows that 25 mobile operators are currently lab-testing 5G, with 12 of those reporting that they have progressed to field trials.
The new Gigabit Monitor has been upgraded to display dynamically updated infographics showing the current state of gigabit internet provision in all 41 countries where it is available. Each country’s gigabit internet profile displays the estimated population coverage, global ranking, gigabit launches over time and a listing of local gigabit providers.
“2016 was a turning point for gigabit connectivity, as many cities around the world reached the point whereby gigabit internet was available to most of its residents,” said Sameh Yamany, Chief Technology Officer, Viavi Solutions. “Yet the gigabit revolution shows no signs of cooling down in 2017. As bandwidth increases, so does consumer appetite for it. Likewise new business models have been quick to take advantage of new bandwidth, as we’ve seen with streaming video and audio in the recent past – and which we believe will continue in the near future with VR, AR and the Internet of Things.”
