A few weeks ago we reported on how Brazil is positioning itself to become the Internet and virtual world development hub of South America.
Now a report just released by market research firm Strategy Analytics has the data that shows developing nations are likely in for a telecommunications boom over the next year, with Brazil leading the way.
Pixels and Policy takes a look at the report and what a mass expansion of broadband Internet means for the developing half of the world.
Riding the Liberalizing Wave of Cheap Access
Four developing nations account for nearly 50% of the world population. These are the much-acronymmed BRIC nations: Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Each nation is large and growing, both in terms of national wealth and population, but "developed world" services like broadband internet access lag behind.According to a Strategy Analytics report first covered in Business Wire, these four nations could account for over 250 million new broadband Internet users over the next three years. In short, this means a near doubling from 2009 access levels. In total over 300 million BRIC residents will be wiring up to experience the power of always-on Internet.
Strategy Analytics Director Ben Piper made an interesting point that outlines how cross-cultural the demand for broadband access truly is:
"While the BRIC designation can be a useful lens through which to view the region, the four countries are more different than similar on many levels," said Piper. "We see broadband adoption playing out differently in each."
Russia and China routinely quarrel over geopolitical issues, and the Chinese have a dog in the fight with India over disputed territory in Kashmir, but the citizens of these rising powers are intent on increasing the flow of information. As we learned from Iran, the increased flow of information over the Internet makes brazen state corruption and electioneering much harder to paper over.
Reforming Cultures Through Tube Diplomacy
India is already grappling with the cybercultural changes that come from broadband internet access, streaming video, pirated movies, and virtual worlds. As ever faster internet connections give young Indians their first taste of virtual worlds (and the possibilities presented within them), India's national newspaper worries that fewer Indian youths will accept government reasons for why standards of living still lag behind on the subcontinent.
Chinese gamers have protested the actions of developers in-world, causing enough of a stir that the Chinese government stepped in to stem the rising tide of discontent. Perhaps they see a shadow of Tiananmen in the virtual assemblies. A spate of uncommonly direct criticism between high-level Chinese bureaucrats over restrictions on the popular online game World of Warcraft only deepens suspicions.
The advance of broadband Internet and the information it carries can't help but change cultures. It is as powerful a force as the arrival of radio or television in these developing nations, and with the population of Internet-capable households expected to spike over the next three years, it's possible the next major government reforms could find their roots in a virtual protest.
There is no way of knowing with certainty what kind of developments will come from the arrival of large-scale broadband in BRIC nations. But if recent trends are any indication, broadband will bring with it the liberalizing force of large-scale communication and a multicultural dialogue fueled by YouTube, streaming music, and virtual worlds.
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