In upcoming issues of this newsletter, we will continue this series dedicated to exploring the technologies lowering the bandwidth threshold and this market phenomenon that will revolutionize the way media is consumed. Cable modems are data connections provided by the same companies who offer cable television services. Speeds for DSL start at 144 Kbps and can range up to 1 Mbps. Newer to the marketplace, wireless services are an emerging technology capable of speeds up to 1 Mbps. Although this form of connection is still fairly unreliable, the industry is moving quickly to make this a reality for connecting to the Internet.
Cable companies have the early lead in broadband market share.
Cahners In-Stat Group states that the number of North American cable modem subscribers has already surged to 1.8 million in 1999 and is expected to be double that by the end of 2000. This high-tech market research firm also forecasts that there will be more than 9.5 million broadband cable data subscribers worldwide by the end of 2002. Technically, DSL technology has some important advantages over cable modems. Once a user is connected through DSL, the data connection's speed is essentially guaranteed. However, with current infrastructures, DSL service is only available in limited neighborhoods.