Ten
Years of Internet in Korea:
August 11, 2004 -
Approximately 62.8 percent of South Korea's 49 million people now
use the Internet, according to new government figures reported by
. But young men in the cities are by far the most likely to be
Net-savvy.
Since the start of
commercial services in 1994 (read article below), the Internet
population has been steadily increasing to a point where it is
now nears the penetration rate of mobile phones.
Still, South Korea's
Internet success has spawned something of a digital divide
between ages, sexes and regions.
More than 95 percent of
those aged 6 to 29 periodically go online, compared with 86.4
percent of those in their thirties, 58.3 percent of people in
their forties and just 27.6 percent of those in their
fifties.
The survey also showed that
Internet usage stands at 74.4 percent for men, compared with 62
percent of women. Around 70 percent of urban inhabitants use the
Internet, while only 46.2 percent of people who live in rural
areas go online.
Korean Internet users spend
an average of 11.5 hours a week on the Web, an hour less than six
months ago. Seventy-three percent surf mainly to search for
information, 54 percent play online games and 33 percent use
e-mail.
More than 45 percent of
respondents said they are a member of at least one Internet
community and 37.1 percent of use instant messaging.
With 30.67 million Net
surfers, according to the report, Korea became the fifth country
in the world to join the 30 million club, following the United States, China,
Japan and Germany.
The usage data came via a
biannual survey of 17,347 residents from 7,030 households across
the country, conducted by the Ministry of Information and
Communication and the National Internet Development Agency in
June.
Source: Korean Network Information Center.
South Korea Internet and
Telecommunications Reports
Korea - Broadband Market
Overview and Statistics Report
South Korea has the
highest number of broadband connections per capita in the world.
By early 2005, around 25% of the population, or 75% of
households, were broadband subscribers. Hanaro’s
acquisition of Korea Thrunet in early 2005 will position the
company to better compete against KT. Powercomm’s debut of
broadband services in 2005 will no doubt see other providers
scramble to retain their customers in this saturated market. This
report describes South Korea’s broadband market, as well as
its broadband networks and services including cable modem, ADSL,
Very high data rate DSL (VDSL), Fibre-to-the-Home (FttH),
Broadband over Powerline (BPL), WLAN, WiFi, Broadband Wireless
Local Loop (B-WLL), broadband via satellite and the debut of
WiBro. Get report
summary.
Korea - Convergence, Triple
Play and Digital TV Report
South Korea is an
early adopter of triple play models, which provide TV, broadband
Internet and voice telephony as packaged services from a single
provider. This report provides an overview of media convergence
and triple play models in South Korea, with special attention
paid to the broadcasting sector. The South Korean government is
committed to transitioning the country to digital terrestrial,
digital cable and digital satellite TV broadcasting by 2010.
Additionally, e-services – such as e-commerce, online
trading, e-banking, e-government and online gaming – are
examined in this report, as e-services will be key drivers of the
converged environment in South Korea. Get report
summary.
Korea - Mobile Market, 3G and
Mobile Data Report
South Korea is
considered a leader in Third generation (3G) mobile technology
and has the world’s highest percentage of mobile users on
3G. WCDMA, the second 3G standard to enter the Korean market
after CMDA2000, became commercially available in December 2003,
though the service was failing to attract subscribers even into
2005. In other 3G news in 2005, the government was showing
concern that LG Telecom had not launched 3G services despite
holding a licence. This report examines the South Korean 3G
market. In addition, this report explores mobile voice and data
services in South Korea, such as wireless Internet, SMS, MMS and
PTT, as well as mobile applications, such as automobile
telematics, mobile DMB TV, m-commerce, m-banking and
m-government. Get report
summary.
Korea - Infrastructure, FttH,
and NGNs Report
As a result of the
South Korean government’s push to advance
telecommunications with the active cooperation from operators,
South Korea has become a hotbed for infrastructure developments.
This report examines Korea telecom infrastructure developments,
focusing on hot topics such as Next Generation Networks (NGNs),
Fibre-to-the-Home (FttH), Broadband over Powerline (BPL), IPv6
and VoIP. In addition, this report look at the data market in
South Korea, including discussions on KT Hitel (KTH), Korea
Thrunet data services, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
services, Value-Added Networks (VANs) and Very Small Aperture
Terminals (VSATs). Get report
summary.
