Interesting Snippets

From nearly 16,707 on-the-ground tests conducted across both cities - 11,413 in London and 5,294 in New York - the RootMetrics report shows download and upload mobile broadband speeds are “significantly faster” in New York…. The average download speed in New York was 8.5mbps (megabits per second) as opposed to a paltry 2.265mbps in London. The average upload (sending) speed in New York was 4mbps but only 1mbps in London

In India it is common for people to take calls inside a movie theater… Another quirk about India is that the caller may get to hear a Bollywood song, chosen by the subscriber instead of a ringing tone. Known as caller tunes, the subscriber is charged for this monthly and according to Shah, they are a big money-spinner. This is also common in parts of Africa where a caller might hear a quote from the Bible.

The U.K., for example, has become a nation of digital shopkeepers, but the Netherlands has not, even though the fixed-broadband infrastructure is much stronger there. The reason: the Dutch are light credit-card users. The Czech Republic has a relatively strong e-commerce market, reflecting the poor retail experience in its physical stores. Hong Kong, which also has a strong Internet infrastructure, has relatively weak business-to-consumer activity because traditional merchants in this densely populated ““shoppers’’ paradise”” have an easier time holding on to nearby customers. India’’s relatively small e-commerce market, on the other hand, is hampered by the nation’’s poor distribution network, but dating and online betting sites are highly popular. It is easier to make a payment using a mobile phone in Kenya than in Kansas. Kenya is unencumbered by the infrastructure, regulations, and inertia that hamper mobile payments in developed markets, and consumers are eager to access banking services.