Korea ranked first in broadband leadership

According to the “2010 Annual Broadband Study” by Oxford University, Korea has the highest level of broadband leadership among the 72 countries surveyed. This is the second year Korea has claimed first place.

The researchers calculated the broadband leadership scores of each country based on their Broadband Quality Score (BQS) and broadband penetration at the household level. The evaluations of the global broadband statistics service company Point Topic and the broadband connection analysis website Speedtest.net were also considered in the researcher’s scores.

Korea topped on the list with a total score of 157 points, with nearly 100% of households in Korea having access to broadband, and a BQS of 81. Hong Kong and Japan were ranked second and third for broadband leadership.

Average download throughput in Korea was 33.5 Mbps, an increase of 55% from 2009, and the average upload throughput was 17 Mbps, an increase of 430%.

Moreover, the study said fourteen countries, including Japan, Sweden, Bulgaria, Finland and Korea, are prepared for the “internet applications of tomorrow,” including high definition internet TV and high speed digital devices.

Seoul was the highest ranked of 239 cities worldwide, with a BQS of 97 out of 100 points.

Sponsored by Cisco Systems, the Saïd Business School at Oxford University and Spain's University of Oviedo have been evaluating global broadband quality since 2008.

By Jessica Seoyoung Choi
Korea.net Staff Writer