Does speed matter?

The Economist website has an interesting commentary on the most recent broadband penetration ranking from the OECD (The Broadband Myth). This ranking grades the OECD countries according to various metrics for internet connectivity. Singapore regularly ranks near the top in the equivalent global broadband penetration table.

However, it is actually rather difficult to show that fast broadband connectivity is actually useful in any practical sense. In fact, the US – the most innovative country as measured by the number of internet start-ups – actually does poorly in the broadband ranking.

As the Economist report points out, the full potential of broadband is in the innovative new applications that is makes possible. In particular, broadband enhances the “participatory culture” on the internet, thus enabling new and innovative forms of productive collaboration. Unfortunately, this potential is far from being fully exploited in most fields.

The good news? This simply means that the ever improving broadband connectivity is creating promising new opportunities for imaginative enterprise. The party, apparently, has yet to begin.