Global Broadband Battles
Broadband communications have become the most important focus in the current evolution of the Internet. But there is a significant difference in the broadband performance of different countries, raising critical issues about the United States, Japan and Korea, and the European Union. The United States gave rise to the Internet, but ranks eleventh in global broadband penetration. Japan and Korea lead the world in broadband penetration, and yet neither country dominates the global information and communications industry. The European Union has developed an effective new regulatory framework for electronic communications, yet follows both Asia and the United States. Global Broadband Battles explains these issues while analyzing the dynamic drivers of the broadband industry, including many of the technologies involved.
—Richard R. Nelson,
Professor Emeritus, Columbia University
"Global Broadband Battles is a fascinating and detailed account of the reasons why Japan and Korea have risen to world leadership in broadband communication, while the U.S. and Europe have been lagging. Fransman's book forcefully presents important policy lessons for companies and governments: competition should be fostered, the entry of new firms should be supported, and a regulatory regime allowing new competitors to be innovative should be encouraged."—Franco Malerba, Director of Centre for Research on Innovation and Internationalization, Bocconi University, Italy
"This book offers the reader a detailed explanation of the rise of South Korea to world leadership in the penetration of broadband, as well as the renaissance of Japan and the relative decline of the United States and Europe. It is compulsory reading for all those who wish to sort out these puzzles."—Chris Freeman, University of Sussex
