Internet Experiences: Other Nations versus the USA - Essay Example

The paper "Internet Experiences: Other Nations versus the USA" is an outstanding example of an essay on technology. Internet connectivity, as well as data plans, vary across the countries depending upon the infrastructure development and demand for services. Over a period of time, different governments have provided support to ensure that superfast broadband is available to the consumers as it is generally believed that high-speed internet access offers societal and economic benefits. (Kenny & Kenny, 2011).

Japan is the country that is considered to have the best internet speeds offered at the lowest price in the world. This, therefore, ensures that many consumers are allowed to use high-speed internet with relatively cheaper prices thus increasing the overall inclusion for internet services. Some reports suggest that the overall ranking of the US in the 20s in terms of internet speed and countries like Japan, Sweden are offering much high-speed internet connectivity as compared to the United States of America. On average, the overall speed and connectivity in the US are even less than the US Federal Communications Commission’s defined limit of 4mb per second of download. This low level of internet speeds, therefore, suggests that the US may be lagging behind major countries in terms of offering high-speed affordable internet access to its consumers.

It has been suggested that South Korea is also one of the leading countries offering the fastest internet services to consumers. Such high-speed internet connectivity is, therefore, adding towards the low-cost providing of the services indicates that it may be possible to offer affordable services at really high speeds.

It has been argued that the lower speeds of the internet in the US is mainly due to the low level of infrastructure investment in the development of the internet backbone of the country. A low level of investment in infrastructure development, therefore, has resulted in a low level of accessibility as well as speed across the whole of the country. (Rob Docters, Tilstone, Bednarczyk, & Gieskes, 2011)

Further, it has also been argued that the lack of competition within the internet services providers has resulted in increased costs. High-speed internet services, therefore, are relatively expensive for US customers to afford. This lack of incentive has also forced the internet services providers not to go for the service up-gradation in terms of speed increase as well as a reduction in the pricing of the services.  (Rueda-Sabater & Derosby, 2011)

It is also important to note that the regulatory environment in the US is not conducive for the high-speed connectivity as it requires major expansion and investment into infrastructure development as well as the services. The additional regulations, therefore, have been considered as one of the significant bars in the development of low priced and high-speed internet access in the country.

Other countries, therefore, seem to have better infrastructure as well as a low level of regulations to allow internet service providers market to develop on its own. The high population density has also allowed companies to penetrate into large chunks of the market with relatively low costs thus making it cheaper for the consumers to enjoy high-speed internet access in these countries.