I came across this awesome visual presentation about the State of the Internet over at Brittany Bohnet. Scrolling down the Focus post, I saw the technological gap people are talking about, a gap that prevents some 2 billion people in the world access to information.
The internet makes our world more connected, leverages business opportunities and makes access to information much more easy. Still, internet usage is higher (no surprise) and more accessible (no surprise again) for people with some form of college education and >$30K yearly income. Only 39% of people with less than high-school education use the internet, and only 42% of people with under $30k income has broadband access.
That is, in a nutshell, what Bezeq International, an Israeli ISP, is offering to its customers. In a closed event for bloggers and tweeple held this week, the company CIO presented the new package – PrivateNGN – the first of its kind in Israel. The idea is very simple: Customers with a bandwidth of 10MB and above (consumers, not businesses) will enjoy a dedicated server to tunnel their requests, unique IP address and their very own VIP call-center.
Broadband internet penetration rates in Israel have increased dramatically over the past 7 years, from 4% in 2002 to a whopping 76% in 2008 (PDF, Hebrew), with an average bandwidth of 2.5MB compared to 500Kb in 2002. There are 2 infrastructure providers (ADSL or Cable) and over half a dozen ISP providers – conditions that create a highly competitive market, and each ISP is working hard to get the competitive advantage.
Following the semi-technical presentation (that was very easy to understand – lots of graphs and logos), the Marketing Manager took the stage, showing us the campaign surrounding the launch, the design language and the brand new TV spot – first screening ever (was aired later that evening on TV).
To wrap the event, and staying true to the language of PrivateNGN, Bezeq Intl. got us flying!! Well, not exactly flying, but I did complete several summer-salts while suspended above ground. On the other hand, London 2012 is out of the question, but I’m practicing for Rio 2016!!
I am interested in seeing how the other ISPs will respond to Bezeq Intl. announcement, as it changes the broadband market and definitely puts Bezeq Intl. in a better position to increase sales and customer base. From the social media aspect – excellent initiative!! More and more companies are realizing the potential of the social scene, by starting (and continuing) a conversation online, adding social media aspects to their marketing programs, inviting bloggers to press events, holding closed events for bloggers and tweeple – well done Bezeq Intl.!
This is my personal blog. The postings here do not represent the thoughts, intentions, plans or strategies of my past employers or of my clients. It is solely my opinion.
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