Juniper Networks has unveiled its Global Bandwidth Index Report, which explores differences between how people use mobile Internet connectivity in their day-to-day lives at work and at home and what they hope to achieve using their connected devices in the future.
Juniper Networks commissioned the independent firm Wakefield Research to survey 5,500 adults in developed markets, comprising Australia, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, which are typically moving quickly to implement high-bandwidth Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks. Wakefield also sampled consumers in emerging markets, comprising Brazil, China, India and South Africa, where networks tend to be slower and less reliable.
The study reveals that twice as many people in the developing countries regularly use connected devices for educational purposes as compared to those in developed markets.
Further, access to Internet plays a crucial role in the professional environment of an individual in India, as 69 per cent of the respondents indicated poor and / or lack of connectivity had an impact on their professional opportunities. The study also reveals that 55 per cent of respondents have experienced a significant improvement in their earning power due to connectivity in India.
"Despite the connectivity challenges, the Juniper Networks Global Bandwidth Index reveals that consumers in India and other emerging markets are still significantly more satisfied with their networks than their counterparts in developed countries. The transformative impact of connectivity to people’s lives in the developing world is much stronger than the feeling that networks should be faster and more reliable. Meanwhile, in the developed world, high-bandwidth connectivity is so commonplace that people are much more sensitive to interruptions in service," said Pankaj Kitchlu, Service Provider Systems Engineering Leader, India & SAARC, Juniper Networks.
The Global Bandwidth Index Report also yielded the following key findings for India:Consumers in the developing markets are significantly more satisfied with their networks than their counterparts in the developed countries, a surprising result given that network speed and reliability tend to be slower and less reliable in the developing world.
On the other hand, in the developed nations where networks are capable of delivering mobile services up to 100 times faster than older networks, people are more likely to use connected devices for practical day-to-day activities like banking (51 per cent), shopping (41 per cent), and searching for local information (42 per cent). The focus is much more on the tasks that enhance personal convenience and efficiency.
