DENMARK: BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT INITIATIVES

UNCLAS COPENHAGEN 000166


STATE FOR EEB/CIP/BAC - TIM FINTON
COMMERCE FOR DOC/ITA/OTEC - ANDREW BENNET
FCC FOR ROBERT TANNER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECPS ECON DA

SUBJECT: DENMARK: BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT INITIATIVES

REF: STATE 27310


1. The Danish government has not put forward an economic
stimulus package. If and when such a package is announced,
we suspect that it will not include funding for increased
broadband deployment initiatives because, according to the
Danish National IT and Telecom Agency, broadband is already
available to more than 99 percent of all Danish households
and companies through ADSL, Fiber or WiMAX. The government
is teaming up with the private sector to meet the
government's stated goal of providing broadband access to
Denmark's remaining 21,000 non-served households (many of
which are located on small, remote islands) by the end of

2010. The bulk of broadband infrastructure is owned by TDC,
Denmark's formerly state-owned telecommunications provider
that went private in the 1990s. American private equity
firms KKR and the Blackstone Group reportedly hold
significant ownership interests in TDC.


2. The World Economic Forum's "Networked Readiness Index"
rankings for 2008-09 list Denmark as the world's most
networked economy for the third consecutive year. The
Forum's report notes that Denmark has rates of 64.3 internet
users per 100 and 114.7 mobile telephones per 100 in
population in 2007, and internet bandwidth of 346.0 mB/s per
10,000 in population in 2006. The report also comments that
Denmark's outstanding level of networked readiness results
from the country's regulatory environment, coupled with
clear government leadership and vision in leveraging ICT
(Information & Communication Technology) for growth and
promoting ICT penetration and usage.


McCulley