The 10 Most Connected Cities in the World
Anthony Townsend
The 10 Most Connected Cities in the World
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Daily Wireless profiles the 10 most connected cities in the world.
By Daily Wireless Staff on March 6th, 2007
Whether you are a webmaster, a gamer, or just an occasional online
shopper, the digital world is increasingly a vital part of all of our
lives. And if you're anything like us, you've come to depend on the
Internet for many of your everyday needs, both work and play. But
despite all the new ways to utilize connectivity in our lives, for
most of us, there are still large parts of our day when we can't be
connected ... or can we?
Through a blend of private and public investment, a number of cities
have had remarkable success in providing almost complete connectivity
throughout their city limits. For residents in these cities, high-
speed access is available almost anywhere and at any time, and often
for below-market rates.
So without further adieu, here are the 10 most connected cities in
the world.
1. Seoul, South Korea
Boasting a metropolitan area population of more than 22 million
people, Seoul is the second most populated metro area in the world
and second to none in terms of modern technology. Seoul is home to
some of the biggest telecommunications and technology companies in
the world, including SK Telecom, KT Corporation, Samsung and LG. If
you're looking for the latest and greatest cell phone or miniature
WiFi gadget, Seoul should be your first stop.
When it comes to broadband penetration, South Korea is the world
leader with an 83% penetration rate. This is in part due to the full
blown broadband revolution that has been taking place in Seoul for
the past 8 years.
Seoul is full of Internet cafés, wireless hotspots and gaming areas
(called "pc baangs") making it the ideal city to use the Internet on
the go. In most areas, a pc baang can be found on every corner. How's
that for service?
Koreans have a fascination with PC gaming unlike any other country in
the world. In South Korea, there are multiple television channels
dedicated solely to broadcasting the day's video game events.
Talented video game players are treated like celebrities similar to
famous basketball players in the United States. At the center of all
of the gaming is Seoul, which has played an important part in
expanding Internet usage throughout all of South Korea.
Internet access in Seoul is extremely cheap, averaging around $20 per
month for a 10Mpbs connection -- that's more than 4 times as fast and
half the price of the average broadband connection in the United
States. Some areas of Seoul boast commercial Internet speeds of more
than 100Mbps for merely $30 per month. With speeds that fast it would
only take you 5 minutes to download a 2 hour high definition movie.
Seoul's current expansion plans include a $439 million project to add
wireless Internet access to the subway trains. "The plan would be to
create a WiFi network, and then charge roughly $20 per month for
access."
With such a huge broadband presence and a dedication to offering
cheap, fast Internet solutions, Seoul is the definition of wired.
2. Taipei, Taiwan
In 2004 Ying-jeou Ma, the mayor of Taipei set out to make his city
the world's foremost wireless "cyber city." In less than three years
he did just that by blanketing the city in one of the world's largest
WiFi grids.
For a mere $70 million, Q-Ware Corp. was able to build a wireless
network consisting of more than 20,000 access points with enough
range to provide service for 90% of Taipei's population. That number
is remarkable considering Taipei has more than 2.6 million residents
in a 105 square mile area. Access to the city wide WiFi network is
available for a low monthly fee ranging from $4.50 to $12.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of having city wide WiFi comes in the
form of a near-ubiquitous Internet access. Users no longer have to
find Internet cafés or wait until they get home to receive stock
updates or check email on their laptops. Instead, anyone can simply
activate a WiFi enabled device and enjoy -- pending they have
purchased the service from Q-Ware Corp. of course.
To go along with the WiFi project, Ying-jeou Ma has implemented
several types of free web services for the city's inhabitants
including lifetime email accounts, ability to pay for city service
bills online and a "three-hour online training course for Taipei
citizens to acquire and sharpen their Internet skills."
Although in size and overall Internet capabilities Taipei is no
Seoul, in terms of wireless penetration Taipei comes in at number one.
3. Tokyo, Japan
As the largest metropolitan area in the world, Tokyo is no stranger
to connecting tens of millions of people. For a business to be run
profitably in Tokyo, it truly must be wired. From the office to the
home, Tokyo boasts an amazing appetite for technology and an
infrastructure that supports rapid expansion.
Internet in Japan is fairly cheap considering the speed trade off.
Japan's most popular Internet option comes in the form of 100Mbps
VDSL from Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) for $50 per month. For
the truly ambitious Internet user, a 1Gbps fiber to the home (FTTH)
option is available from Kansai Electric Power for $90 per month.
Because of the great speeds and availability Tokyo broadband users
are able to obtain, web conferencing and VoIP calls have become the
norm. In fact, the VoIP market in Japan totals more than 10 million
unique IP lines.
Between 2005 and 2010 NTT plans on spending more than $40 billion
making it the single most expensive telecommunications project in the
history of the country. The renovations include plans for providing
ubiquitous broadband for the entire country's 45 million households.
When it comes to raw broadband speed for the most number of users,
Tokyo leads the world.
4. Hong Kong, China
Unsurprisingly, another one of the four East Asian Tigers -- Asian
countries experiencing rapid industrialization since 1960 -- has made
this list due to its commitment to economic and technological growth.
As the case with most of the other Asian IT markets, broadband in
Hong Kong is very cheap considering the amount of bandwidth provided.
Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN), the leading IT company in the
area, provides a 10Mbps residential connection for merely $16 per
month. A 100Mbps connection costs $34 per month, making Hong Kong one
of the few cities in the world with the ability to provide such high
speeds to residential areas at an affordable cost.
HKBN also offers a broadband TV service equipped with more than 70
channels (displayed in DVD quality) on topics from the news to
education to adult movies. Hong Kong is also in the process of
pushing VoIP telephony technology as opposed to the old fashion
telephone. HKBN offers a second generation broadband phone capable of
video conferencing, instant messaging and all of the standard
expected features for $6 a month.
If you're looking for the total digital experience, Hong Kong is your
destination of choice.
5. Singapore
After separating from Malaysia in 1965, the city-state Singapore set
off on an industrial revolution modernizing the entire country. Along
the way, Singapore gained a keen eye for IT and has since built one
of the most impressive broadband infrastructures in the world with a
65% penetration rate.
Compared to the other Asian epicenters, Singapore's Internet is
relatively expensive as a 30Mbps connection costs around $77 per
month. However, for the same Internet service in the United States,
you would expect to pay at least $180 per month. Fortunately, if
you're willing to have a few restrictions placed on your surfing, you
can receive free 4Mpbs broadband from Singapore ISP StarHub.
When it comes to IT expansion, Singapore might be the most active
country in the world. Last year, the Singapore government launched a
10 year plan to modernize the country's IT approach.
"The capacity to innovate and create new business models, solutions
and services will enable Singapore to be more competitive in a
globalized environment." -- Singapore Minister for Information,
Communications and the Arts Dr Lee Boon Yang.
The plan calls for 80,000 new jobs, improving broadband penetration
to 90%, improving IT assets and revenue and increasing broadband
infrastructure capabilities to support IPv6 and speeds up to 1Gbps.
For a complete look at Singapore's expansion plans, click here.
6. Stockholm, Sweden
Internet in the Nordic countries is very similar to that of the Asian
countries: very widespread and very fast (however not quite as
cheap). In terms of broadband penetration by population, Nordic
countries make up 5 of the top 8 on OECD's official list. The
pinnacle of the Nordic Internet market can be found in Stockholm,
Sweden.
TeliaSonera, the leading telecommunications company in Sweden, offers
a 24Mpbs broadband Internet service for $50 per month pending the
user signs an 18 month contract and uses a TeliaSonera phone which
costs around $20 per month. Considering how expensive everything else
in Sweden is, $70 per month for fast and reliable broadband is a steal.
In addition to widespread home access, cyber cafés play an important
role in the recreational lives of Swedes and increase accessibility.
Some of the biggest PC gaming cyber cafés in the world can be found
in Stockholm.
While most cities are developing plans to increase the number of WiFi
hotspots they have, Stockholm is busy engaging in a different type of
wireless Internet technology:WiMAX. WiMAX is similar to WiFi in that
it provides wireless Internet within a limited range. However, when
it comes to the radius of the range and available bandwidth produced
by the signal, WiMAX is far superior to WiFi (we're talking 20 feet
versus 2 miles). Stockholm is currently testing ways to blanket the
city in a WiMAX grid.
7. Various Municipal Projects, United States
With the invention of wireless mesh networks, WiFi access around the
globe is beginning to increase at an exponential rate. Wireless mesh
networks work by transmitting signals from strategically placed
receivers (or nodes) within a network rather than one central
location. In turn, the wireless signal is able to travel very large
distances offering service to a record number of users.
Currently, several cities in the United States are taking on
municipal WiFi projects to offer city wide Internet access at a very
affordable (and occasionally free) price. Most of the cities'
solutions involve some form of a wireless mesh network. Here are some
of the cities experimenting with this technology.
St. Cloud, Florida
St. Cloud's network spans 24 square miles and is available to all
users in the city free of cost. After 6 months, 77% of the cities
inhabitants had registered for the service.
Mountain View, California
As part of their effort to "reach out to [their] hometown" Google is
currently offering free wireless Internet to the city of Mountain View.
Tempe, Arizona
As one of the pioneering municipal WiFi cities in America, Tempe
boasts an impressive 40 square mile WiFi network. Despite its grand
implementation, access to the WiFi network requires a subscription
and as such has seen slow integration with the cities residents.
Currently only 15% of Tempe's residents own a municipal WiFi
subscription.
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi employs a unique 147 square mile WiFi network designed
primarily for use by public works and public safety departments. The
city is now saving a great deal of money in utility costs by reading
meters digitally, police officers are able to do their jobs better by
having instant access to various criminal mug shot databases and of
course city employees are better able to telecommute to work from all
across the city.
Other Cities
Several major U.S. cities including San Francisco, Philadelphia and
Boston currently have WiFi plans in the works to provide Internet
access to millions of residents and visitors.
To view a complete list of municipal WiFi projects in the United
States, click here.
8. Paris, France
Although Paris is usually associated with fashion and leisure, a
recent surge of technological advancement has placed Paris on the map
of connected cities. After all, it was only a matter of time before
Paris began to convert all of its infamous cafés to WiFi hotspots.
France's most prominent ISP France Télécom offers an 18Mbps
connection, a VoIP package and digital TV for $45 per month.
Currently Paris is developing a strategy to employ city wide FTTH on
an "open network." The project is currently being run by "Free", a
subsidiary of French telecommunications company Iliad and is expected
to take 5 years to complete costing around $1.3 billion. Subscribers
to the service will receive a 50Mbps broadband connection, unlimited
local calls (including some international options) and HDTV for $40
per month.
Not to be outdone, France Télécom is currently implementing an
optical network capable of producing 2.5Gbps downstream speeds for
its subscribers. The project is in developmental phases right now and
available to a very limited number of users for $90 per month.
The government is also flirting with the idea of blanketing Paris in
a WiMAX grid.
9. Shoreditch, England
For the most part, the United Kingdom has reasonable broadband
options with an 8Mbps connection averaging between $40 and $80 per
month. The U.K. is loaded with Internet hotspots and offers a wide
variety of WiFi options. If you're looking to shop around and get the
most bang for your buck, the U.K. boasts enough broadband plans (and
prices) to accommodate the most infrequent Internet user to the
biggest businesses. As for the nation's most connected city, however,
one need look no farther than Shoreditch, a town in east London.
An experiment in Shoreditch to reduce the crime rate and improve the
quality of living turns a user's television into a full scale digital
device. The project is called "Digital Bridge" and includes broadband
Internet on your TV, unlimited evening and weekend phone calls,
digital TV and our favorite feature: Shoreditch TV.
Shoreditch TV allows users to monitor a network of local cameras and
watch the daily events in the city. If you're concerned about traffic
on a particular road no problem, just change the channel and check it
out! Shoreditch TV also allows the city to regulate crime. After all,
what type of criminal would be inclined to steal a car knowing that a
few hundred people are watching him?
10. Silicon Valley, United States
With companies residing in the area including Google, Cisco, HP,
Intel and Yahoo!, you can be sure that Silicon Valley is sure to rank
among the world's most connected regions.
It what proves to be the biggest wireless project yet, Silicon Valley
(an area covering 42 municipalities and 1,500 square miles in
California) plans to provide its 4.2 million residents with free
WiFi. The project aims to offer 1Mbps wireless Internet free of
charge and is being spearheaded by IBM and Cisco.
Currently several cities in Silicon Valley -- including San Jose,
Mountain View, and Santa Clara -- already offer city wide WiFi to
their residents, making the area a frequent candidate among world
leaders in broadband penetration.
When it comes to Internet access and speed, these ten cities are
going above and beyond the status quo in providing the best
technology at the right price to its residents. From DSL to Cable to
Fiber in the home, these cities have combined both public and private
efforts to ensure widespread accessibility at speeds much higher and
rates much lower than their peers.