Comment Re:Depends on how you look at it. (Score 1) 354
I think landmass is definitely one of the factors that affect boradband penetration, but it's definitely not the only reason. I took a look through the paper the ITU site has for Korea and I was really surprised and impressed (http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/ni/promotebroadband/ca sestudies/japan.pdf).
Here are some interesting points to take from the research:
- Literacy rate of 97.6 percent
- 80% of the korean population lives in rural areas and 48% live in apartments so that simplifies networking tasks.
- Government is incredibly involved in nurturing tech as well as making sure consumer is protected. it spends money in education as well as subsidizing efforts to decrease the "digital divide".
- Per capita income is not very high, so the internet broadband rate isn't really related that.
- A third of exports are from ICT (Information and Communication Technology). Korea makes a lot of tech equipment and they've made an effort to marry that with internet access for its citizens.
- The introduction of a competitive cable market helped spur broadband growth.
- 26.3 million (55% of population) internet users in 2002, whereas in 1997 it was 1 million.
- Goverment licensing fees for infrastructure such as from ISP's (who must be properly licensed to operate) are pumped back into ICT.
- The government and the private sector cooperate to improve technolgy within the country.
- It's estimated that ecommerce will make up 18% of the economy in 2004 at $200 billion, a jump from $9 billion in 2001. Most of that ecommerce will be in B2B.
Here are some interesting points to take from the research:
- Literacy rate of 97.6 percent
- 80% of the korean population lives in rural areas and 48% live in apartments so that simplifies networking tasks.
- Government is incredibly involved in nurturing tech as well as making sure consumer is protected. it spends money in education as well as subsidizing efforts to decrease the "digital divide".
- Per capita income is not very high, so the internet broadband rate isn't really related that.
- A third of exports are from ICT (Information and Communication Technology). Korea makes a lot of tech equipment and they've made an effort to marry that with internet access for its citizens.
- The introduction of a competitive cable market helped spur broadband growth.
- 26.3 million (55% of population) internet users in 2002, whereas in 1997 it was 1 million.
- Goverment licensing fees for infrastructure such as from ISP's (who must be properly licensed to operate) are pumped back into ICT.
- The government and the private sector cooperate to improve technolgy within the country.
- It's estimated that ecommerce will make up 18% of the economy in 2004 at $200 billion, a jump from $9 billion in 2001. Most of that ecommerce will be in B2B.
