Internet Millions more set to take the step into cyberspace
scmp.com
ASSOCIATED PRESS, Tuesday July 28 1998
Here is the latest estimate on the size of
cyberspace, according to Internet pioneer Vinton
Cerf, who last week delivered the keynote speech
at the annual global meeting of the Internet Society:
At least 100 million people use the Internet.
There will be between 300 million and one
billion users by December 2000. "I don't
believe the billion number," Mr Cerf said. "I
don't think we'll have enough computers for
all those people, but I can easily believe [300
million]."
45 million computers can "log on", still a
small number compared with the world's
telephone system of 828 million connections.
240 of 250 countries have an Internet
service, ranging from a per capita low in
countries like the mainland, where the
Internet is "vigorous and growing", to
Finland, with the highest per capita
penetration.
There are three million "domain name"
addresses, many of which are based on
company trade marks.
About 75 per cent of Internet use is for the
World-Wide Web.
There are 1.5 million Web sites with 350
million pages, and a great deal of "dark
information" that searchers cannot see, such
as large databases that are not in the
standard HTML format.
The Internet is growing at 100 per cent a
year, compared with 5-10 per cent a year
for the telephone system.
There are 7,500 Internet service providers,
4,500 of them in the United States alone.
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