<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>At present the digital divide has started to be considered not so much in the context of Internet access itself or the skills of Internet users, but in terms of Internet performance. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that faster Internet made it easier to adapt to the new reality. But not all areas can benefit from good Internet connection. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify spatial regularities in Internet performance on a local scale. This study is based on a set of data generated by Internet users, collected using the publicly available Ookla Speedtest measurement tool. The information about Internet speed and latency obtained in this way shows the actual Internet speed experienced. The analyses have indicated significant characteristics of the spatial differentiation of Internet performance. First, in the case of the Internet, the core-periphery dimension is not universal and obvious, as regional systems are strongly marked. Second, perceiving the digital divide mainly through the prism of Internet access is an insufficient approach.</p>
</abstract>

At present the digital divide has started to be considered not so much in the context of Internet access itself or the skills of Internet users, but in terms of Internet performance. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that faster Internet made it easier to adapt to the new reality. But not all areas can benefit from good Internet connection. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify spatial regularities in Internet performance on a local scale. This study is based on a set of data generated by Internet users, collected using the publicly available Ookla Speedtest measurement tool. The information about Internet speed and latency obtained in this way shows the actual Internet speed experienced. The analyses have indicated significant characteristics of the spatial differentiation of Internet performance. First, in the case of the Internet, the core-periphery dimension is not universal and obvious, as regional systems are strongly marked. Second, perceiving the digital divide mainly through the prism of Internet access is an insufficient approach.

Spatial regularities in Internet performance at a local scale: The case of Poland

Faculty of Earth Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Wrocław

Moravian Geographical Reports

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

At present the digital divide has started to be considered not so much in the context of Internet access itself or the skills of Internet users, but in terms...

Spatial regularities in Internet performance at a local scale: The case of Poland

Published Online: Oct 15, 2022

Page range: 163 - 178

Received: Jan 23, 2022

Accepted: Sep 09, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mgr-2022-0011

Keywords
Internet performance, digital divide, local scale, Poland

© 2022 Krzysztof Janc et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Spatial regularities in Internet performance at a local scale: The case of Poland

Published Online: Oct 15, 2022

Page range: 163 - 178

Received: Jan 23, 2022

Accepted: Sep 09, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mgr-2022-0011

KeywordsInternet performance, digital divide, local scale, Poland

© 2022 Krzysztof Janc et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Internet performance, digital divide, local scale, Poland