This document compares the IT infrastructure in the US and Dubai. It finds that while Dubai has nearly universal broadband access with 98.8% of its population living in urban areas, the US lags behind with only 79.2% of its larger population living in urban areas and 7.9% of rural communities lacking any internet access. Both countries have initiatives to expand infrastructure, but the US likely faces greater challenges in terms of its size, rural terrain, and lack of sufficient funding compared to Dubai's focused investments and economy.

1. How far behind is the US? IT Infrastructure in the US vs. Dubai Milton Plummer| CIT 49900

2. Why Do a Comparison between US and Dubai? Why Do a Comparison between US and Dubai? US has a large population without access to broadband Dubai has a very aggressive infrastructure deployment Understand the gaps for the US in the world community Understanding the differences in infrastructure between the US and Dubai will help determine the benefits of the US potentially encouraging investment, both government and commercial, in order to be competitive in the world market.

3. Research Goals Amount of population in rural and urban areas for each country Infrastructure development in rural and urban areas for each country What are some of the significant initiatives each country is seeking Government sponsored initiatives Private/Commercial initiatives What are the obstacles facing either country in pursuing set initiatives Geographic limitations Resource limitation What are the pros and cons of deploying these initiatives What possibilities do each have for success Policies in place to aid/hinder initiatives Educational requirements Workforce availability Available funding (focused on Government initiatives) How do the two countries compare overall

4. Infrastructure development Dubai’s Population Demographics Approximately 1,646,000 people Approximately 19,723 people in rural areas 98.8% Reside in urban areas US Population Demographics Approximately 285,230,516 people (2000 census) Approximately 59,274,456 people in rural areas 79.2% Reside in urban areas

6. 1/5 of US population live in rural areas

7. A study done by Edward J. Malecki in 2003 discovered that:

8. 92% of the US population does have access to the internet

9. Includes dial up subscriber potential

10. Only the larger cities in rural communities have toll free dialing

11. Extended internet use would be costly

12. 7.9% of rural communities don’t have access to any ISP

15. Thuraya Satellite System – is a large scale satellite program which will be accessible via handheld, vehicular and fixed terminals. It was deployed in 2000.

16. Fiber Optic Cable - Emirates Telecommunications and Marine Services FZE (E-Marine) launched FLAG, the world's longest operating submarine cable system, linking Europe, Asia and the Far East.e-Government Initiative collect all of Dubai’s government offered services into one portal for all of the users that interact with the government

17. Obstacles preventing development Dubai Possible city congestion due to construction Lack of labor resources due to low unemployment (1.1%) US Large population and area requires large investment City congestion minimal for rural areas Dense forests, mountains, and large bodies of water Mountainous regions could impeded wireless deployments Training labor for mass deployment Lack of investment to sustain ongoing efforts

18. Overall Comparison Rural vs. Urban populations and percentage of homes with internet access

19. Overall Comparison - cont

20. Overall Comparison - cont

21. Overall Comparison - cont The benefits of deployed, current infrastructure for both countries are as follows: Increased productivity for organizations Increased competitive ability in the global market Encouragement for new investors Educational improvements Medical care improvements Some of the downfalls for these initiatives for both countries are as follows: Large expenditures for any deployment/upgrades (primarily US) Constant expenditures for maintenance Potential educational costs (US only)

22. Probability for Success US Lack of funding (7 billion out of 350 billion required) Lack of education consideration Unlikely to succeed with current conditions Dubai Most initiatives already achieved (started in 2000) Sufficient funding based on economy Only 1 primary provider (Etisalat)

23. Probability for Success - cont Comparing Dubai to US primary points: Initiate adoption date Population and Area

24. Conclusions Initial assumption was Dubai would be a good country to benchmark gaps for US Dubai’s unique population distribution and area make it a difficult benchmark for US and most countries

25. Questions?