Korea to get 1Gbps wired Internet by 2012
updated 10:45 am EST, Mon February 2, 2009
Korea to get 1Gbps Web
Korea will have infrastructure in place and offer wired Internet services with speeds reaching 1Gbps by 2012, the country's communications commission said in a statement over the weekend, according to a Monday report. This, along with wireless broadband jumping to 10Mbps (or 4G speeds), will be a 10-fold increase on the respective services' current speeds. The project will involve an investment of the equivalent of $24.6 billion over the next five years, with the government chipping in $935 million and the remainder coming from private telecommunications operators. The undertaking will create 120,000 jobs.
Apart from the higher speeds, existing communications networks will switch over to IP-based systems, with all landline phone lines converting over to VoIP. The new infrastructure will also bring high-definition digital TV signals into users' homes, along with interactive broadband services including e-commerce and home schooling. IMAX movies will also be available in the home.
The new infrastructure will result in the nation's digital TV coverage rising to 96 percent from the current 87 percent of households. As for high-speed Internet, the country already enjoys over 94 percent high-speed Internet adoption rate and is one of the most advanced in the world, outpacing North America and most of Europe.
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Joined: May 2000
North or South?
The linked article doesn't specify whether they're referring to North Korea or South Korea. I'd guess South, but that's just a guess.