San Jose, Calif., November 20, 2019 – Research from Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAVI) (NASDAQ: VIAV) indicates that gigabit internet is now available to an estimated 354 million people across 51 countries, accounting for five percent, or one in twenty, of the global population.
The United States is the global gigabit leader, with gigabit internet available to 68.5 million people, an additional 4 million since August 2018. Yet, China is not far behind, overtaking South Korea as the country with the second largest availability of gigabit internet. In China, gigabit internet is now available to 61.5 million people, representing a huge leap of 41 million since August of last year. Nonetheless, that number represents just 4.5 percent of the country’s population.
Following the U.S. and China are South Korea with gigabit access for 46.9 million, Spain with 30.1 million and Canada with 15.9 million. When coverage is considered as a percentage of population, Singapore remains the global leader with gigabit internet available to 95 percent of its population.
While the status of one in twenty having access to gigabit internet shows significant global progress, this contrasts starkly with the estimated 50 percent of the global population that still does not have any form of internet access. In the last 12 months, only two new gigabit countries have come online, namely Bahrain and Malaysia. This has slowed since last year when eight joined the ranks of gigabit internet countries.
As gigabit-capable 5G networks go live around the world, cellular technology’s share of gigabit internet provision has increased with a corresponding drop in fiber’s share. In the coming two years, as 5G networks become more widespread, this trend is expected to continue. Nonetheless, this top-line observation belies the fact that fiber remains the backhaul infrastructure of choice across most cellular, cable and telecom networks, making fiber a critical, if sometimes hidden, component for the majority of gigabit internet providers.
“Not surprisingly, we are seeing a gradual shift away from wired gigabit internet provision toward wireless technologies. As commercial 5G networks are rolled out in greater numbers, the pace of this transition will escalate radically and soon reach a tipping point,” said Sameh Yamany, Chief Technology Officer, VIAVI. “Yet even with the global rise of 5G networks, the importance of testing and troubleshooting fiber will remain paramount as mobile operators deploy more and more fiber-based network infrastructure.”
About The VIAVI Gigabit Monitor
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 was launched by VIAVI in 2016 and tracks gigabit deployments since 2004. The Gigabit Monitor displays dynamically updated infographics showing the current state of gigabit internet provision in all 51 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.
An infographic summarizing the key figures can be downloaded here and the live data can be accessed on the Gigabit Monitor site.
About VIAVI
VIAVI (NASDAQ: VIAV) is a global provider of network test, monitoring and assurance solutions for communications service providers, enterprises, network equipment manufacturers, government and avionics. We help these customers harness the power of instruments, automation, intelligence and virtualization to Command the network. VIAVI is also a leader in light management solutions for 3D sensing, anti-counterfeiting, consumer electronics, industrial, automotive, and defense applications. Learn more about VIAVI at www.viavisolutions.com. Follow us on VIAVI Perspectives, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
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