Juniper unveils Global Bandwidth Index Report

Juniper Networks, the industry leader in network innovation, unveiled its first ever 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 capable of delivering mobile services up to 100 times faster than older 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 developing countries regularly use connected devices for educational purposes as compared to those in developed markets. In India, for example, 45 percent of people surveyed say connectivity has fundamentally changed how they access textbooks, complete coursework or use teaching tools, compared with just 7 percent in Japan.

Further, access to the Internet plays a crucial role in the professional environment of an individual in India, as 69 percent of the respondents indicated poor and / or lack of connectivity had an impact on their professional opportunities. The study also reveals that 55 percent of respondents have experienced a significant improvement in their earning power due to connectivity in India.

The Global Bandwidth Index Report also yielded the following key findings for India:

Emerging Satisfaction

Consumers in developing markets are significantly more satisfied with their networks than their counterparts in developed countries, a surprising result given that network speed and reliability tend to be slower and less reliable in the developing world.

•             Respondents in the study gave India an “A+” grade (A being the highest and F, the lowest) in the matter of connectivity satisfaction, while the U.K. and Japan received an “F” grade.

•             58 percent of respondents in India aresatisfied with the current Internet connection. That being said,the majority (63 percent) of the respondents feel that speed still keeps them from fully utilizing the mobile connectivity capabilities.

•             48 percent of the respondents state security concerns as a reason for mobile connectivity capability utilization being low.

Spotlighting Priorities

People in India are prioritizing their connected activities in very different ways – Social (56 percent) and Entertainment (51 percent), followed by banking/professional (46 percent), while health and safety ranked as the least important (16 percent).

•             The advent of the Internet has changed the e-commerce experience of 50 percent of male respondents to a great extent vis-à-vis 44 percent of the female respondents.

•             70 percent of the female respondents have experienced a fundamental change in the way they do banking through connectivity.

•             Among the nine nations surveyed, India ranks second behind South Africa in the use of connected devices for professional and personal usage.

Transformative Connections

•             97 percent of people in emerging markets reported fundamental life changes due to connectivity, including a transformation in the way they complete a wide range of essential and everyday tasks, from banking to accessing local information, enjoying entertainment, receiving health care and engaging in civic life.

•             Compare that to 22 percent of consumers in developed markets who report that connectivity has not had a significant effect on their lives.