Leadership in the global broadband Internet ecosystem depends upon success in three interconnected pillars: networks, devices and applications and content. These areas are highlighted in the U.S. National Broadband Plan, which was released in 2010. The Net Vitality Index also measures a fourth key criterion: broadband innovation and competitiveness indicators. These four elements are the basis of the dynamic Internet experience, which is critical to virtually all activities of daily life.
Net Vitality 3.0 In Detail is the latest comprehensive study based on a pioneering research methodology developed by Stuart N. Brotman, a 2024-2025 research fellow with the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, housed in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business.
The Importance of the Index
Based on indices developed by the United Nations, the World Economic Forum and respected quantitative research organizations around the world, the study presents a unique Net Vitality Index as a composite metric for evaluation. The Index evaluates countries on an apples-to-apples basis, including several measures related to innovation and competitiveness, which are critical to broadband Internet ecosystem development.
Melissa S. Cardon, Anderson Center research director noted, “Broadband availability is essential to entrepreneurial efforts. In research I’m conducting with Nataliia Yakushko and David Williams, we have seen the profound impact access to online information and e-commerce opportunities has for entrepreneurs operating within Ukraine, either enabling or constraining their ability to pivot their business focus or re-locate business operations due to the war.”
Since much of society now is based on a dynamic broadband Internet foundation, it is critical for entrepreneurs and innovators to focus on key factors that can help them achieve greater success in a highly competitive marketplace. The Net Vitality Index in the NetVitality 3.0 In Detail, which includes interactive research tools, will be a valuable resource for entrepreneurs as they make strategic and operational decisions about product and service development, digital business locations and growth and expansion plans, as well as for policymakers striving to support and enable entrepreneurial growth.
About the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is the front door to entrepreneurship at UT, connecting entrepreneurs and innovators at every stage with the resources, networks and expertise needed to solve real challenges. By cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset across campus, connecting entrepreneurs with resources and mentorship they need to grow, and collaborating with the UT and regional ecosystem, the Anderson Center is developing an entrepreneurial culture where Volunteers are empowered to identify unmet needs and take bold action to create value through new ventures.
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CONTACT:
Brennan Hullett, brennan@utk.edu
Contact
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