Introduction: A Comparison of Wireless in the United States and South Korea

Imagine a world where information could be accessed in less than the blink of an eye, faster than a mouse’s heartbeat. In the United States, the average middle class household accesses the World Wide Web at 5.1 megabits per second (mbps). If someone in the U.S. searches a keyword on Google, that search takes around 0.24 seconds. Is it even possible to get even faster? South Korea thinks so. In the past few weeks, research has been collected to compare the difference in efficiency of the South Korean internet to the America’s penetration power. These facts and figures have provided a basis for comparison and analysis of the different components of each country’s wireless network. The central idea of the paper is that South Korea’s “wired culture” is made possible by the government’s priority to put its civilians first to improve the quality of life using efficient internet services. The United States could adopt this model and prevent faulty connections with better bandwidth. This paper will explore the technology behind the world’s most wired nation and the legal aspects, ethical implications, and security concerns of faster internet. To understand South Korea’s wired culture, one must understand the technical details of the World Wide Web and what constitutes “fast internet.”