The internet connection and the management in telecom industries in the European countries handle things quite differently from those in the US. That will be explored in this article. If you are living in the US or have recently moved to the US, and are looking for a new internet connection, we recommend you consider Comcast’s Xfinity. It is available in 39 states in the US and their Xfinity internet prices are some of the most reasonable ones you will find. There are packages, each offering downloading/uploading internet speeds at a rate, and it varies from area to area. Xfinity internet will provide seamless connectivity to your internet browsing and online gaming.
The situation of the telecom industry in Europe
Since connectivity and low latency times are very important for a good internet connection and economic progress, countries in Europe seem to lack it and are lagging behind the US in terms of faster internet speeds.
- For instance, there are some countries in Europe like Germany, Italy, and the UK that do not think that internet infrastructure is necessary for economic growth. What they do is that the broadband spectrum is sold off to the highest bidder that manages it for 20 years by providing internet access. But within those 20 years, they charge more than 30 pounds to amortize their spectrum license fees.
- Germany has one of the worst developed broadband accessibility because since one out of 11 individuals does not receive a 3G signal from inside their homes. This is surprising, given that this country has the fifth densest population in the world, and the network infrastructure for such a country would be much cheaper and easier to improve.
- In Slovakia, one out of nine individuals in rural areas do not have any access to a DSL internet connection, and some that do (65% of them) have internet, the rate only tops up to 100Mbps. Switzerland, however, has given 100% access to speeds beyond 100Mbps to its internet users.
- There is an entry barrier in the markets that make it difficult for companies to start a telecommunication agency in the EU. Complicated procedures for licenses and bidding on the spectrum licenses are one of the toughest competitions that they have to experience. Eliminating that would allow consumers to have multiple and cheaper options to choose from.
- It has also been estimated that by 2025, more than half the US internet users will be using 5G technology. But for Europe, it is 31%, which is not surprising due to Europe’s single market and spectrum auditioning systems.
- Moreover, since the internet is cheap in European countries, there is not much pool of money for updating, and expansion of the network infrastructure.
What about the US?
A US Telecom report released that the US approach towards incentivizing private investment over government regulation has delivered a competitive US broadband marketplace than the US, along with providing additional benefits such as declining broadband prices, reliable network connectivity, and the ability for consumers to be able to utilize digital resources. The key findings were that:
- The US offers better infrastructure deployment and broadband adoption than its EU counterpart for all kinds of internet connection
- US infrastructure of a network connection for rural areas has been much better than the ones in rural areas in the EU (20 points at 30Mbps)
- Broadband providers in the US invest more in the internet connection than those in the EU
- Internet users in the US get to enjoy numerous facilities-based competition, unlike the EU
Hence, the internet in Europe is not much faster than the internet available in the US because the former still has a long way to go to achieve a successful digital market for its consumers. Europe needs to break down barriers within the single market and auditioning system. This could reflect positively on the quality of network connection and phone bill of the consumers.