The Truth About the "Global" Internet
URL: zdnet.com
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How the Web Was Won
Annette Hamilton, Executive Producer
ZDNet AnchorDesk
Wednesday, April 29, 1998
We've all heard how the Internet is a wondrous, global
phenomenon that is erasing borders and flattening economic
barriers. Just listen to BlackWeb's Frank Coburn, who
attests, "The Internet has leveled the playing field for
everyone. Race and gender have become irrelevant and we
can now obtain the same information and speak to the same
people as anyone else."
Baloney.
Yes, it is headed that direction. But it is emphatically
not there yet. Here's the real story on the Internet's
international scope.
There are an estimated 119 million Net users worldwide
according to Nua Internet Surveys' latest tally. However,
a quick pulse-check reveals the Internet remains a North
American phenomenon:
Two-thirds of all Internet users reside in North America.
If you are a tech entrepreneur, these are the people you
want to influence. Click for full story.
Roughly two-thirds of all Internet servers reside in the
U.S. The Internet influencers -- Web publishers -- are
concentrated in America.
Four out of five Web pages are in English -- the unofficial
language of the Net.
That's where we are. Now for where we're headed:
The Rest Of the World (ROW) will pass the U.S. in Web
users later this year.
The ROW won't pass the U.S. in Web servers for several
more years, which indicates the culture and content of
the Net will be dominated by the U.S. for years to come.
The next five countries to come online in force will be:
Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Australia and the United Kingdom.
As you are trying to predict where the online wave will
hit next, don't rely exclusively on the number of PCs
per capita. You must also consider a country's telecommunications
infrastructure, telecommunications costs, language barriers
and cultural considerations.
Someday, the Web will be a truly global phenomenon. But
if you base your business strategy on the assumption that
it's there now -- or that the whole world is going to
move to the Web at the same time -- you won't be in business
when it finally occurs.
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