The findings, from a new US national broadband map show that more than a third of Americans have access to mobile broadband at speeds over 6Mbps.
The new US broadband map, developed by the US National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and in cooperation with the US Federal Communications Commission has revealed that, 36% of Americans “have access to wireless internet service at maximum advertised download speeds of 6 Mbps or greater, which some consider the minimum speed associated with ‘4G’ wireless broadband service.”.
Mobile broadband is a huge part of the future of internet access, which is why the Obama administration is pushing for its National Wireless Initiative, which would expand wireless broadband networks to cover where 98% of Americans live.
The map will help broadband providers and government agencies target areas that need broadband service, and help consumers compare service and speed, said Julius Genachowski, the FCC’s chairman. The first release of the map is “just the beginning,” he said during a press conference.
The NTIA also announced new broadband adoption information. About 68.2 percent of US residents subscribe to broadband now, compared to 63.5 percent a year ago, said Rebecca Blank, acting deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce, the NTIA’s parent agency.
The growth is “good news, but when you dig deeper into the data, it’s clear that we still have work to do,” Blank said.
The broadband map also shows that about one-third of US households still lack a broadband internet connection, and, 5% to 10% of Americans only have access to internet services that are too slow to even support a basic set of online functions, such as downloading Web pages, photos or video.
The agencies will update the data in the map every six months, and the map includes a feature where users can report information about broadband providers in their area.
So where’s the UK map we hear you ask? And where do we stand with 4G speeds? It would be nice to know. We suspect it’s nowhere near the 36% in the US. Let us know what you think.