Total % DSL Subscribers by Region
Region	Q3 04 Total	% of Total DSL Subscribers by Region
Asia Pacific	24,062,660	28.22
European Union	26,518,252	31.10
Latin America	2,864,775	3.36
Middle East & Africa	858,500	1.01
North America	15,162,697	17.78
Other Europe	1,199,000	1.41
South & SE Asia	14,601,500	17.12
Totals	85,267,384	100.00
Source: DSL Forum and Point Topic

Given that over 70% of the potential market for Internet services is outside the US, it is surprising to see how many IT companies are still approaching globalization as an after-thought. Part of the problem is a management culture that is still mired in the old paradigm of getting it right in the US first before going overseas, while evidence abounds that, by the time the company is ready to go international, it is often too late. In today's world, a successful business model becomes replicated faster than the blink on an eye.

Putting off international expansion is a strategic mistake that has cost companies such as eBay and AOL the market leader's position in countries as vital as Japan (where eBay had to concede defeat to nimbler, more aggressive Yahoo!), or Europe (where AOL has never been able to be in the top 3 positions in any of the major markets). (In both cases, the key mistake, by the companies' own admission, was having waited too long). At the same time, companies like Skype have used the limited size of their home market (Luxembourg) to their own advantage, launching services that were global from the get-go and quickly acquiring more users than more established - albeit more US-centered - VoIP companies. Google, a company that had chosen a very aggressive international roll-out early on, had more than 50 localized versions of its site by late 2002!