High-Speed Internet Use Among OECD Members Surged in 2016

High-speed internet use among the 35-member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) surged in 2016, with mobile broadband penetration reaching 99 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in December 2016, up from 91 per 100 a year earlier, according to data released by the Paris-based organization.

The addition of 113 million mobile broadband subscriptions, an increase of 9.8% in the OECD area, was stoked by growth in the use of smartphone and tablets.

Eleven member countries — Japan, Finland, Australia, the United States, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Korea, Iceland,  New Zealand and Ireland — are above the 100% penetration level, up from nine a year ago.

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Poland, Slovenia, Chile, Portugal, Turkey and Mexico were the fastest-growing countries among OECD members in mobile broadband penetration in the previous six months, with growth rates ranging between 22% and 12%.

DSL is still the prevalent technology, making up 43% of fixed broadband subscriptions. It is being gradually replaced by fiber, which now accounts for 21.2% of subscriptions. Cable (32.7%) makes up most of the rest.

The OECD was created to encourage economic interdependence among member nations with the help of evidence-based analysis.

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