EoW March 2009

Transat lant ic Cable

Boston’s strengths include “a plethora of universities and urbane population that help keep its broadband and Wi-Fi usage high.” The surprise of the list is Minneapolis, which improved its standing from No 11 to No 7, beating out New York and Portland, Oregon, among others. The Minnesota city’s secret: “a particularly broad range of service providers, including a number of neighbourhoods with 20 different access options for high-speed Internet.” Elsewhere in telecom . . . Cellphones, made available to Cubans scarcely a year ago, have taken hold quickly on the island. Cuba’s telephone company ETECSA reports 330,000 mobile phone users among a population of 11.4 million. Prices for mobile connection have already been lowered. Even so, cellphone service represents a considerable outlay in a country whose hard-currency income has been sharply reduced by falling export prices, especially for nickel. The 50 th anniversary of the Cuban revolution, on 1 st January, featured warnings from President Raúl Castro of greater economic hardship ahead. Dorothy Fabian – USA Editor ❈

Internet by Wi-Fi, the magazine also measures the number of public wireless Internet hot spots in each city. According to data evaluated in January, Seattle is the most broadband-connected city in the country. High marks in two other wired-city categories – broadband access and Wi-Fi hot spots – helped the rainy city in the Pacific Northwest clinch the top spot. Elizabeth Woyke wrote on forbes.com (22 nd January) that, although Atlanta – top wired city in 2007 and 2008 – had dropped to No 2, the Southeast telecommunications hub “boasts plenty of broadband users and . . . service providers.” Ms Woyke wrote, “DC scoops up another honour this year as the wired city to watch, thanks to technophile president Barack Obama. Obama’s support for universal broadband and fluency with mobile devices is expected to boost Internet and Wi-Fi access nationwide. Results could appear in the president’s home city soon.” Rounding out the top five wired cities are Orlando and Boston. Forbes noted that, as the location of Walt Disney World, the destination of millions of tourists a year, Orlando is packed with broadband providers and Wi-Fi access points. Washington DC “rocketed” from No 11 last year to a solid No 3.

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EuroWire – March 2009