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All Things IP: the Future of Communications in America - Above the CrowdAbove the Crowd | By Bill Gurley

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Take a trip to Korea or Japan and you will immediately have a new appreciation for the definition of broadband. There, it is not uncommon for a consumer’s Internet connection to breathe a blazingly fast 10 plus megabits per second. In Japan, Yahoo BB goes a step further, trumpeting a full 45 Mbps offering for a cool US$37 per month. Still not amazed? Korea boasts a mind-boggling 80% broadband penetration rate, while the U.S. still ambles around half that. That said, even the U.S.’s 42% penetration rate is deceptive, as the U.S. version of broadband is a far cry from these Asian fire hoses. What is most striking about the notion of a 45 megabit IP connection is the overwhelming universality of such an incredibly high-speed packet-based conduit. Into it melt all forms of media and communications – voice, data, video, and any other application or service you might imagine. There is no need to consider bringing multiple connections or service providers into your home, for this network can

All Things IP: the Future of Communications in America March 24, 2004: "Gonna keep on tryin’ Till I reach the highest ground" -Stevie Wonder, Higher Ground Take a trip to Korea or Japan and you will immediately have a new appreciation for the definition of broadband. There, it is not uncommon for a consumer’s Internet connection to breathe a blazingly fast 10 plus megabits per second. In Japan, Yahoo BB goes a step further, trumpeting a full 45 Mbps offering for a cool US$37 per month. Still not amazed? Korea boasts a mind-boggling 80% broadband penetration rate, while the U.S. sti

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