The Internet Is Becoming Un-American

December 04, 2008

U.S. carriers and Internet exchanges emerged as the primary hub for routing global Internet traffic, thanks in large part to the U.S. government’s early role in the development of the Internet. In the past decade, this central role has gradually eroded as more service providers have opted to connect their networks to other countries and regions. Data from TeleGeography’s Global Internet Geography study documents how the United States’ central role as the global hub of the Internet continues to wane.

In 1999, 91 percent of international Internet capacity from Asia and 70 percent of African countries’ international Internet capacity connected to the United States. By mid-2008, the share of Asian countries’ international Internet capacity to the U.S. had dropped to 54 percent. The share of African countries’ bandwidth connected to the U.S. has fallen even more dramatically, to only 6 percent in 2008, as Europe usurped the role as the continent’s main Internet hub.

TeleGeography's Global Internet Map

“The declining share of traffic routed via the U.S. actually reflects a healthy trend in the development of the global Internet,” said TeleGeography Research Director, Alan Mauldin. “As regional Internet markets and service providers mature, it makes ever more sense for them to exchange traffic locally or regionally, rather than halfway around the world.”

TeleGeography’s Global Internet Map draws upon data from our Global Internet Geography research to provide a graphical view of the key Internet routes that link the regions and countries of the world.

To find out more about the Global Internet Map, or to download a desktop wallpaper map, visit: http://www.telegeography.com/telecom-maps/global-internet-map/

For more information please contact us at: +1 (202) 741-0042 or press@telegeography.com.