China Tops US With More High-Speed Lines

Nation's rise in broadband technology 'a major milestone'

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 27, 2008 3:41 PM CDT

(Newser) – China's broadband network is now bigger than America's, InformationWeek reports. In fact the Asian nation has the planet's biggest high-speed network—which "means a lot more for building a modern, hi-tech economy" than China's spacewalk yesterday, one expert said. "This is a major milestone for China."

China was expected to overtake the US in broadband lines 2 years ago, but their networks ran neck-and-neck until this week. Now, strong growth in China and a steep falloff in US lines has given China supremacy, with more than 78 million lines. America is also falling behind Europe and Asia in high-speed line growth, a shortcoming that has "serious implications" for competing in a high-tech world, one analyst said.

A Verizon lineman installs fiber optic cable on a telephone pole in New York. (AP Photo)

An optics lab. (AP Photo)

Verizon is alone among the major phone companies in severing copper lines from telephone poles to residences in favor of broadband fiber optic. (AP Photo)

A fiber-optic installation in Norton, Vt. (AP Photo)

Chairman of Bank of Communications Jiang Chaoliang. (AP Photo)

China topped the US with its number of broadband lines this week. (Shutterstock)

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China Tops US With More High-Speed Lines

Nation's rise in broadband technology 'a major milestone'

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World's Timekeepers: Kill 'Leap Seconds'

Debate rages over fundamental shift

Global Carbon Emissions in Biggest Jump Ever

Rising greenhouse gasses will worsen climate change, say scientists

South Korea Launches In-Your-Face Military Exercise

Unofficial envoy fears 'crisis'

Okay, Okay, I Praise China Too Much

Thomas Friedman: But it's because I'm worried about us

China Passes US in Energy Consumption

Consumed equivalent of 2,252 million tons of oil last year

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China • technology • broadband Internet • United States • competition • growth • regulation • telecommunications

MOST POPULAR STORIES

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More Newser Stories

World's Timekeepers: Kill 'Leap Seconds'

Debate rages over fundamental shift

Global Carbon Emissions in Biggest Jump Ever

Rising greenhouse gasses will worsen climate change, say scientists

South Korea Launches In-Your-Face Military Exercise

Unofficial envoy fears 'crisis'

Okay, Okay, I Praise China Too Much

Thomas Friedman: But it's because I'm worried about us

China Passes US in Energy Consumption

Consumed equivalent of 2,252 million tons of oil last year

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Newser By Users

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