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Worldwide State of Broadband - S Korea, Japan Lead

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the no-surprises-here dept.

Geek of the Week writes "No surprise here, a report by the International Telecommunications Union shows the US lagging in broadband adoption. S Korea and Japan lead with between 60 and 70% of S Korean households wired for speed, with Japan catching up quickly. The U.S. ranks 11th. Story here and the full press release can be found on the ITU website. Having traveled through Asia for business I can't say I'm surprised, but it is disappointing that the availability and price are in such sorry states here in the U.S."

7 of 354 comments (clear)

  1. In Japan by Dancin_Santa · · Score: 5, Informative

    In Japan they pass out Broadband modems on the street for free.

    And connections are 8-12Mbps at the low end.

    1. Re:In Japan by gcaseye6677 · · Score: 4, Informative

      All I can say is, cancel SBC Yahoo while you still can. I'd be surprised if that shitty thing could work on any computer on the first try, after recently setting it up for my brother. You will have to set your machine up to use PPPoE. Instructions on how to do it without their CD can be found here. Whatever you do, don't use the CD. It installs all kinds of crap, including a Fisher Price looking web browser, which sets itself as your default. Its full of spyware and other annoying software, not to mention the installer seems to fail on the first try (it uses Flash). I'd say don't get the service, but if you decide to anyway, use the method described in the link. From what I've heard there are frequent outages in most service areas and the customer service is about as horrible as you would imagine. Just wanted to get the word out to avoid this scam of a broadband service.

  2. When you read the article... by Osrin · · Score: 4, Informative

    Japan and Korea don't lead... Hong Kong (CHINA!) and Korea are up at the front.

    Japan ranks 10th.

    1. Re:When you read the article... by shri · · Score: 4, Informative

      Absolutely, here's what available in Hong Kong.

      6mbps + a DVD quality decoder for cable tv on demand with a progressive scan DVD player from Now Broadband for a total of US$35-38/month. The cable channels run for about US$5-10/month and you can turn them on / off interactively using your decoder box.

      In terms of features and value add, Hong Kong beats Korea hands down. (Yes, I live in HK)

  3. Broadband in Japan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Several reasons for Japan's fast broadband growth are as follows: As has been pointed out, broadband modems are being passed out on the street by yahoo bb, who's service is cheaper than the phone companies' service. They are doing this at a great loss to try to build volume. They also include VOIP functionality, with calls to the US being charged at 5 yen (about 4 cents) a minute. Unfortunately Yahoo's availability is limited outside major cities. I live in a suburb of a prefectural capital and cannot get service. Another reason BB rates are rising, is that is is the only way to get flat rate internet access, as even local calls are charged per minute. Yes, ~$20.00 flat rate isps exist, but when the phone bill jumps $40, it is no longer a good deal. Also, although the bandwidth seems high and the rates seem low, the study probably doesn't take into account the fact that you need to pay both the phone company and a seperate isp for most connections. That can easily push the cost up into the 40-60 dollar range, and outside the major areas (tokyo, kyoto, etc.) the bandwidth rates are much lower. My fastest transfer rate was on a RH iso, about 60k over my 12MB connection. The penetration rates and adverstised speeds only show a small part of the broadband picture in japan.

  4. Compared to other countries.. by njan · · Score: 4, Informative

    ..the US is a veritable broadband paradise. In the UK, the uptake is even worse than the US; whilst 80% of the country is wired for "broadband", the phone companies have no intention of wiring the remaining 20% - and the 80% broadband is DSL at phenomenally expensive prices; a 768k up/down line will set you back somewhere in the region of $80/month. I currently pay $35 a month for 2.5mbit either way on my cable connection; and the customer service in the UK is similarly dreadful.

    Maybe the US should count its blessings. ;)

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  5. Quantity...but Quality? by Etnie · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm in Seoul at the moment. I have cable broadband for 33,000won/month, about US$29, including the tv side. Most people do have cable or DSL here.

    However, it sucks. Goes down often which is normal for some US providers too. But when it does work, it's got some fat bandwidth but it's VERY laggy making most online games unplayable. My friend has DSL and the situation isn't any better.

    Maybe if they gave it away in the US for almost nothing also, it would be wider spread there. But I much prefer my broadband at my US apt to the broadband here! (Even though it costs more than double, worth every penny!)

    -e.