Recent Trends of Building Network Infrastructure for High Speed Data Communications in Korea

摘要

The number of users of Internet, a typical data communication requiring high-speed network infrastructure,has been doubled every year in Korea. Particularly, the number of home users is dramatically increased inrecent years. Large number of home users, however, are using 54Kbps dial-up modem to access Internet,while desirable network for the Internet requires its speed at least 1.5 Mbps or above. Building 1.5 Mbps orabove - Network to the home is one of the most critical aspect for the Internet-to-the-home. A few technicalalternatives for such high-speed data communication network include ADSL (Asymmetric Digital SubscriberLine), HFC (Hybrid Fiber Coax) and B-WLL (Broadband-Wireless Local Loop) among others. In this researchwe examine recent trends of building network infrastructure for high-speed data communications in Korea. InKorea, at least 3.5 million high-speed data communication lines at affordable price are expected to be builduntil year 2002. Existing PTO's and new entrances aiming higher market share become more competing inthe market. KT (Korea Telecom), Hanaro-Telecom, DACOM are introducing or preparing ISDN (IntegratedService Digital Network), ADSL and cable modem services. Three B-WLL operators are licensed in 1999.Strategies for technology acquisition, network building and marketing vary from operators to operatorsdepending on their previous telecommunications serviceetwork operations. Critical success factors foreffective building high-speed data communications network and relevant regulatory and policy issues are alsoexamined. Those include shared vision of high-speed network building, effective competition in the highspeednetwork/service market.