Why does korea have the fastest internet

This will make internet in South Korea -- which CNET reporter Stephen Shankland called " a country obsessed with superfast networks " -- insanely fast compared to those in other countries.

The average connection speed in the US last year, for example, was The announcement comes two months after the South Korean government said it will pick two consortia to work on projects aimed at accelerating the commercialisation of 10 Gb internet.

The feat was accomplished using gigabit passive optical network or GPON technology, which allows the internet to run as fast as Connecting multiple devices to the network including phones , tablets and AI speakers enables internet on each device to run as fast as 1 Gbps, although on average users will see connections going at Mbps, the company added.

The first Gbps network in Southeast Asia , set up by the Singapore Advanced Research and Education Network, was made available to researchers and students at partner universities in , allowing them to transfer files as quickly as Cambridge Analytica : Everything you need to know about Facebook's data mining scandal.

Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. Internet connections are more expensive than those in South Korea, too. The slower connection here in the U.

So why is U. Internet so much slower and pricier than broadband connections in South Korea? The question is timely, as the U. Map: U. Internet is slower than Slovakia's?

With those caveats in mind, here are the five potential reasons U. Internet speeds are slower and more expensive than those in South Korea. This list was gleaned from interviews with broadband experts and from policy papers:.

In the U. Most people choose between a cable company and a telephone company when they sign up for Internet service. While there isn't good data on how many broadband carriers the average consumer has access to, "I think we can infer that South Korea has more [competition in broadband] than the United States," Faris said. In a New York Times editorial, Benkler says competition will reduce costs for broadband consumers.

There are stark cultural differences between hyper-connected Korea, where more than 94 percent of people have high-speed connections, according to the OECD, and the United States, where only about 65 percent of people are plugged into broadband, according to an FCC survey. The South Korean government has encouraged its citizens to get computers and to hook up to high-speed Internet connections by subsidizing the price of connections for low-income and traditionally unconnected people.

One program, for example, hooked up housewives with broadband and taught them how to make use of the Web in their everyday lives. Mobile internet usage rate South Korea , by age group. Smartphone mobile data traffic per user monthly South Korea , by technology.

Monthly mobile data traffic per subscription in South Korea , by data plan. Weekly internet usage South Korea Daily time used for mobile internet on weekdays South Korea , by age.

More interesting topics Related topics. E-commerce in South Korea. Social media usage in South Korea. Smartphone usage in South Korea. Gamers in South Korea. Go to report. Nina Jobst. Research expert covering South Korea. Contact Get in touch with us. We are happy to help.

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