- There’s a lot of talk about the U.S. and BEAD, but other countries have also put the pedal to the medal on broadband access
- We checked out government-led broadband initiatives in four countries
- Obviously, no country is the same in terms in internet access and adoption
Pretty much everybody at this point knows the U.S. is trying to close its digital divide with the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. But what about the rest of the world?
Indeed, plenty of other countries have their own government-led broadband efforts, some of which were established years before BEAD surfaced. Fierce looked into how some of these countries are steering their broadband ship – here’s what we found.
China
It comes as no surprise that the U.S.’ biggest tech rival was an early mover in promoting broadband access. China in 2013 unveiled a plan to build a nationwide high-speed broadband network by 2020 that would boost download speeds in both urban and rural areas.
And speed-wise, it seems like China delivered. As of 2023, 95% of internet users in China had access to a broadband connection of 100 Mbps or more, Statista noted. As for fiber, Kagan estimated that by the end of 2027, fiber broadband users will make up at least 90% of total broadband subscribers in mainland China.
Fiber isn’t China’s only focus. The government is also building a network of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink service. China in December launched the first batch of satellites for its Guowang (“national network”) constellation, which will eventually consist of 13,000 LEO satellites. Two other constellations – Thousand Sails and Honghu-3 – are in the works as well.
Germany
Unlike many of its peers in Europe, Germany has lagged in fiber penetration with a typical download speed (91 Mbps) just shy of the global 94 Mbps average.
The German government in 2022 introduced the “Gigabitstrategie” program. Its mission? To deploy fiber and the latest mobile communications standard to all areas of the country by 2030. As an interim goal, Germany wants to pass 50% of homes with fiber by year-end 2025.
However, some German fiber players have expressed skepticism about achieving full fiber coverage by the end of the decade and worries that deployments may actually slow down due to higher interest rates and inflation. According to Omdia, high deployment costs and bureaucratic hurdles are hindering fiber construction, and the country is trying to simplify and digitize its permitting processes.
“Germany aims to cover 50% of households with FTTH/B by the end of 2025, but with only 36.8% of homes passed as of mid-2024, it has a wide gap to close,” Omdia said.
India
As the most populated country in the world, India’s broadband ambitions match that scale. India in 2011 kicked off the BharatNet project to deliver affordable, high-speed internet to every village in the country, allowing folks in those communities to access opportunities like telehealth and online education.
As of December 2024, BharatNet had expanded fiber broadband access to more than 214,000 Indian villages and has installed over 104,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots in rural areas.
The Indian government also stood up Make in India, an initiative similar to the U.S. Build America, Buy America Act. It aims to support domestic manufacturing of electronics, including fiber optic equipment. In tandem with its broadband plans, India is undertaking a project to improve the digital infrastructure of 100 cities.
Fixed broadband deployments in India have typically been held back by unclear right-of-way policies and lengthy bureaucratic processes. That’s why telcos like Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have primarily focused on the mobile segment, though that’s starting to change as demand for high quality internet ramps up.
Mexico
Mexico’s government in 2019 introduced a campaign for better broadband not unlike the U.S.’ Internet For All initiative. It even has the same name: Internet para Todos.
The initial objective was to connect everyone in Mexico by the end of 2023 via a combination of fiber, wireless, satellite and hybrid solutions. Unsurprisingly, the Covid-19 pandemic put a damper on that timeline.
Nevertheless, progress is trucking along. Mexico in July said rural internet access increased by 60% since 2018, from 10.8 million to 17.5 million people. The government also provides free internet to nearly 100,000 public sites, such as schools, libraries and hospitals. And as of year-end 2023, 65% of fixed broadband connections in Mexico were fiber.
On the Wi-Fi front, Mexico City broke a world record in 2021 by having more than 21,500 free public hotspots available to residents. That number currently sits at over 31,000.
