SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As an IT powerhouse, Korea has proven to be the world leader of the internet network speed in schools.
According to the study conducted by the National Information Society Agency of Korea (NIA), Korean schools posted an internet access speed of 118 Mbps(megabits per second), faster than 11 other countries surveyed, including the United States, Australia, France, Britain and Sweden.
NIA President Kwang-Soo Chang said, “The main reason that Korean students have access to the highest internet speed is the installation of the Schoolnet Service over the past few years, provided by NIA. During this period, we have been able to consistently improve the speed of internet.”
NIA has been playing a central role in providing exceptionally high-quality information and telecommunication services through the National Info-comm Service since 2006. Under this service, NIA has provided Schoolnet Service for schools and Pubnet Service for government organizations.
Via Schoolnet Service, internet speed improved from 50Mbps in 2009, 100Mbps in 2011, 150Mbps in 2012, 200Mbps in 2013, and to 250Mbps this year (2014). Considering that most schools had access speed of 2-10Mbps in 2009, speed has improved by 30-40 times within just four years.
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[Internet access speed in elementary, middle and high schools in Korea by year] |
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| Description | Below 2M | 4M∼10M | 15M∼50M | 55M∼100M | 110M∼190M | Over 200M | Total | |||||||
|
2009 |
2,525 | 6,720 | 566 | - | - | - | 9,811 | |||||||
| (25.7%) | (68.5%) | (5.8%) | (100%) | |||||||||||
| 2010 | 50 | 2,181 | 6,662 | 546 | - | - | 9,439 | |||||||
| (0.5%) | (23.1%) | (70.6%) | (5.8%) | (100%) | ||||||||||
| 2011 | 49 | 226 | 3,196 | 5,681 | 28 | 217 | 9,397 | |||||||
| (0.5%) | (2.4%) | (34.0%) | (60.5%) | (0.3%) | (2.3%) | (100%) | ||||||||
| 2012 | 57 | 37 | 2,355 | 813 | 6,107 | 291 | 9,660 | |||||||
| (0.6%) | (0.4%) | (24.4%) | (8.4%) | (63.2%) | (3.0%) | (100%) | ||||||||
| 2013 | 58 | 31 | 2,332 | 370 | 18 | 6,940 | 9,749 | |||||||
| (0.6%) | (0.3%) | (23.9%) | (3.8%) | (0.2%) | (71.2%) | (100%) | ||||||||
Through Schoolnet Service, internet speed has increased greatly. Schools are now able to use digital textbooks, digital devices, and online courses more conveniently and frequently. Teachers are able to prepare classes more efficiently and students can enjoy accessing wide range of information and knowledge. Moreover, through the use of various devices and media, the quality of education and learning environment also increased.
President Chang said, “Just as Korea has been able to acquire the reputation of ‘IT powerhouse’, the application of ultra-high speed internet access will bring home the title of ‘education powerhouse.’”
About National Information Society Agency of Korea (NIA)
NIA is a sub-governmental organization responsible for developing national policies concerning the informatization of state agencies. It was first established as Korea Computerization Agency back in 1987, and merged with Korea Information and Culture Promotion Institute in 2009 to adopt its current name NIA. For more information, please visit http://eng.nia.or.kr/english/eng_nia.asp
