Belarus 25th on global fixed broadband penetration list

Belarus is ranked 25th on the global fixed broadband penetration list according to the latest State of Broadband report issued by the UN Broadband Commission and published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), BelTA has learned.

According to the report, Monaco is the world’s leader in fixed broadband penetration, with 46.8 subscribers per 100 capita. Monaco is closely followed by Switzerland (46 subscribers) and Denmark (41.4). Belarus is ranked 25th with 28.8 fixed broadband subscribers per 100 residents. Out of ex-USSR countries only Lithuania (20th position) is ahead of Belarus. The USA is ranked 23rd while Japan is ranked 24th. Russia occupies the 56th position, Moldova 64th position, while Ukraine is ranked 86th.

The UN Broadband Commission’s State of Broadband report reads that 4 billion people (57% of the world’s population) remain offline and unable to take advantage of the enormous economic and social benefits the Internet can offer.

The experts conclude that broadband Internet is failing to reach those who could benefit most, with Internet access reaching near-saturation in the world’s rich nations but not advancing fast enough to benefit the billions of people living in the developing world.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a leading UN institution in the field of information and communication technologies. For nearly 150 years (ITU was founded in Paris in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union) the agency has been coordinating the joint use of the radio frequency spectrum on the global scale. The ITU also assists with international cooperation for distributing satellite orbit positions, contributes to the improvement of telecommunication infrastructure in developed countries, and creates global standards for unhindered interaction of a broad range of communication systems.