Broadband - speeds

Japan's Broadband Service Outpaces Korea's

How does "IT powerhouse" Korea measure up to other countries in terms of Internet speed? Disappointingly, it's only in second place. Japan has the world's fastest Internet connections, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, while the U.S. is at the bottom of the list.

At 61 megabits per second, Japan's broadband service is 30 times faster than that of the U.S. at 2 mbps, the Post said citing data from Information Technology and Information Foundation.

Korea ranked second with 46 mbps, followed by Finland with 21 mbps, Sweden with 18 mbps and Canada with 8 mbps.

"Americans invented the Internet, but the Japanese are running away with it," the article said. "This is partly a matter of geography and demographics: Japan is relatively small, highly urbanized and densely populated."

Korea is in first place for the number of broadband subscribers. According to data from International Telecommunications Union, there were 24.9 broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants in Korea in 2005.

Next on the list was Canada with 17.6, Switzerland with 17, Sweden with 15.1, Norway with 15, Israel with 14.3, Japan with 14.1, Finland with 12.8, the U.S. with 11.4, France with 11.2 and the U.K. with 10.3.

Chosun Ilbo