Internet Activity

Internet Activity

The number of Internet hosts has been on a steady increase in Venezuela. In 1993 there were only 378 hosts, and by 1996 2417 hosts existed.

The growth of the Internet has been exploding though out the entire world, and Venezuela is no exception to the rule. In 1995 the Miami Herald estimated that there were over 28 million Internet subscribers worldwide. Over half of the users are located in the United States, mainly due to the fact that the Internet was developed in the U.S.

 In Venezuela, the number of Internet hosts grew over 600% between 1993 and 1996. The following table displays the exact numbers to show this growth.

The growth of Internet usage is being experienced both for individual use, and for corporate use.

The individual growth is moving along with the growth of personal computers. Since there is more access to the Internet, more people are purchasing PC’s. An IDC Venezuela report which was conducted in 1996 revealed a 42% increase in the purchase of PC’s in Venezuela.

The corporate sector growth has a lot to do with the increase of corporate business in the area. The largest corporate increase is in the petroleum industry. The locations in which the international petroleum companies are setting up are in hard to reach rural zones, so there is some reliance upon the Internet to carry information to and from these locations.

There are over 40 companies offering connection services to the Internet in Venezuela. The connections are completed using either fiber optics or satellites. (1997 National Trade Data Bank, pg.4)

There is still a large opportunity for increased usage of the Internet in Venezuela. The government needs to get involved and reorganize the legal, technical, and economic ground rules which define the basic infrastructure.

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