Bill Gates famously once noted: “The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.”
The founder of Microsoft, and for a considerable time the richest man in the world, couldn’t have been more accurate.
We are often reminded that ‘money makes the world go round’, but it wouldn’t be an unfair suggestion to argue that the periphery of that wheel is fuelled by the internet.
The internet has allowed for so much in regard to development and economic growth.
With this in mind, we thought we’d take a look at internet speeds around the globe, what it provided in terms of opportunity, and the small island in the English channel which lays claim to the fastest broadband in Europe.
Speeds around the world
Taiwan, as of 2019, had the fastest internet connection in the world at an incredible 85.02mbps. On the other end of the scale, Yemen, in the Middle East, came in last after the numerous speed tests with a lowly 0.38mbps.
If we were to consider this in terms of a film download, Taiwan users would only have to wait around eight minutes to download a full 5gb movie, while those living in Yemen would be waiting for approximately 30 hours.
The global average weighs in at 11.03 but this is significantly pulled up thanks to the top five fastest nations in the world registering 125 times faster speeds than the slowest five.
37 of these fastest 50 nations are, unsurprisingly, in Europe. Only two of the 54 European jurisdictions are outside of the top 100 fastest countries in the world.
Europe, as a whole, has continued to better its hold thanks to the fact a number of its nations are rolling out full-fibre networks, removing the likes of ASDL.
Why it is so important
A strong network connection is an essential aspect of modern life. Broadband has been described as “an indispensable driver of economic growth and workplace development.”
For individuals, an internet connection offers an opportunity to not only find jobs but to do them as well. For those embarking on a professional career journey, the internet exists an area where information can be shared, and new skills obtained. In research carried out by Georgetown University, it became apparent that between 60 and 70 per cent of all job adverts are now posted online. If you aren’t an internet user, your chances of landing the job have already been cut.
For businesses, the benefits of a fast, reliable internet connection are endless. Less time spent sitting idle marks the first. Think of how much utilisation is being washed away when it takes up to five minutes to download a document. Similarly, 96 per cent of businesses are now reportedly using the Cloud which depends on internet access. Perhaps most importantly, a strong internet connection will enhance a business’ security.
All of the above benefits translate directly into increased monetary savings.
Best in Europe
Sweden, Denmark, and Holland are all nations with impeccable connection speeds but the jurisdiction with the fastest in Europe may come as somewhat of a surprise. Back in 2018, Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, rolled out a full fibre network to 40,000 homes and businesses.
Every country lane in the island was laid fibre-optic broadband wires, including a connection out to the iconic Elizabeth Castle off the coast of St Helier. It had been seven years previous, back in 2011, that Jersey Telecoms made the decision to lay the cables across the island, going what is known as ‘full-fibre’.
The costs of the project were around £50m and it will take between eight and nine years to recoup funds however for the title of Europe’s best internet connection, it is surely worth it?
Since the Channel Island made the decision to go ‘full-fibre’ a host of other European nations have bit the bullet and made the same jump, with France and Spain just two examples of those following suit.
It should come as no surprise that internet connectivity, particularly a strong one, is of incredible importance when it comes to a country making steps towards development.
