Broadband in local municipalities: the case of Premià de Mar

We analyze the broadband reality in Catalonia and in Maresme, focusing in Premià de Mar, in collaboration with the twins Andrea and Irina Balart. Nowadays the broadband has become a reality in Catalonia thanks to the technological advances. Many municipalities have access to different internet networks to download information, as well as to create content. In the present article we will analyze the implementation of broadband in town of Premià de Mar, belonging to Maresme county.

The use of FTTH technology in Catalonia has been increased in the last two years, specifically it has risen 8.8  percentage points regarding 2015. According to a report of 2015 from the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, 57 municipalities of Catalonia have a coverage of FTTH between 90 and 100, which which represents the reach of 1.8 million households. The FTTH or Fiber to the Home telecommunications technology consists of fiber optic cables that reach customers' homes. It is a technology that offers the known as Triple Play (Internet, television and telephony) and allows you to browse the internet at more than 2 Gbps.

Broadband in the Philippines to develop the country

In this blog we analyze the Philippines broadband evolution with Caroline Mariel E. Aquino and Dyan Gabrielle P. Dino. With 7,107 islands comprising the entire archipelago, the Philippines is slowly moving to become a more digitalized society. According to government data, 46% of Filipinos use internet on a daily basis while 48 million Filipinos actively engage in social media. Although these figures may seem moot as compared to other urbanized countries, the Philippines is a predominantly agricultural society that is slowly adapting to western ways and standards.   

 

The fragmented geography of the island, issues with the private telecommunication companies and political ties with outside nations are just some of the hindrances that have held back the development of broadband in the Philippines in the past. In order to address these issues, the government implemented the National Broadband Plan (NBP) that aims to invest and radically improve the telecommunication and broadband services in the Philippines.

Improving broadband in Ireland

Ireland is a developed but improvable country in broadband, as we analyze in collaboration with Muireann Duffy. With rural electrification in 1940-1950, electricity began to be consumed by households on a daily basis throughout the entire country, paving the way for computers and other such technologies to become staples in Irish homes.

 

Ireland's first form of internet connection came via DSL (digital subscriber line) connections, which connected computers or routers to telephone wires, which were already installed in the vast majority of Irish homes, in order to access the internet. Seeing as Ireland is now regarded as one of the most technologically advanced countries in Europe, if not the world, it is hard to believe these DSL connections only came into use just before the turn of the millennium, meaning that the ordinary people of Ireland have only had household access to internet for roughly 20 years.

How 400 million Europeans followed a Dutch guy on the internet

We analyze the Dutch broadband case in collaboration with Sjors Beukeboom. Piet Beertema sits behind his computer, patiently waiting for a reply from someone in America. It seems ages ago when he send a message straight across the Atlantic Ocean. ‘Unreal’, is what he must have thought when he hit the ‘send’-button on the computer, unsure whether his click with the mouse would get the results he wants. Suddenly a soft ringtone tells Beertema that he has received a new message. “Thanks for the additional information. This is to let you know that we have changed the status of this network to connected.” An Eureka-moment for the Dutch scientist in Amsterdam.

Piet Beertema. A typical Dutch name for a typical Dutch achievement. Beertema was the first European connecting to the precursor of the world wide web, sending a message to the United States at November 17, 1988 at 14:28. Stephan Wolff, the receiver of the message, replied Beertema the morning after. The satisfaction of that soft ringtone is a feeling he will never forget.