December 27, 2005, 8:22 PM — This week's highlighted research:
Byte Level Research. "Internet language index."
Strategy Analytics. "Residential broadband Internet service in the Asia-Pacific region: Market outlook & analysis."
Forrester Research. "How India, China redefine the tech world order."
Nielsen//NetRatings. "U.S. Internet usage shows mature growth, forcing innovation of new Web offerings, according to Nielsen//NetRatings."
We here in the U.S. tend to think of the Internet as something out of our very own Silicon Valley--an American invention, used primarily in the West. But in fact, it's simply not true. From its very origins, it was a global effort, and today, the Internet truly is a world-wide phenomenon. There are more languages on Web sites than you can imagine. And contrary to popular belief, not all Web site URLs are in English, or even denoted in the Roman alphabet. My Asian wife has a computer with a Thai keyboard, surfs Thai web sites and chats with her friends back home in her native language.
In fact, the Internet was a truly global phenomenon from its very roots, and today, the increasing push towards globalization and the breaking down of artificial barriers by the virtual world has made the Internet even less of a Western plaything. According to Byte Level Research, less than 30 percent of Internet users speak English. The report proclaims that the next "Internet revolution" will not be in English. Noting that there are about a billion people with Internet access in the world, the report says that 300 million of those speak English, 128 million speak Chinese, and 80 million speak Japanese. Other common languages, in decreasing order, are Spanish, German, Korean, French, Italian, Russian, and Portuguese. Byte Level predicts that Chinese speakers on the Internet will double over the next five years. Granted, Internet access in China is severely restricted and censored by the government, but it's there, it's a powerful force, and will no doubt play a role in the future direction of Chinese politics.
While I wouldn't look for China to abandon communism and elect a Parliament any time soon, there's no doubt China is in for some changes. The potential for growth, change and profit is tremendous throughout Asia-Pacific, and especially in China. Strategy Analytics' report also highlights the Internet's explosive growth in China, and forecasts that the number of homes using broadband Internet in the Asia-Pacific region will triple, from 61 million today to 176 million by 2010. China will make up 64 percent of residential broadband users in the area, up from less than 40 percent today. Indeed, broadband isn't an American phenomenon, even today. Seventy seven percent of South Korean homes use broadband, and over half the homes in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore all have broadband.
Forrester Research talks about the "tech world order" in its report, also noting that the U.S.-centric tech focus is rapidly changing. Forrester notes that India and China both have rapidly growing tech industries, and the performance of both countries will shape the high-tech industry across East and West in the coming decades. U.S. tech vendors who see the Indo-Chinese corridor as a competitive threat aren't getting with the program--the most innovative companies are instead positioning themselves to tap into those huge markets. Nielsen//NetRatings' statistics underscores the importance of taking a global position, noting that Internet growth is flat in the U.S. and other mature Internet markets, a factor that will force growth-oriented Internet companies to look outside the West to secure their futures.
