Providence, RI, May 24, 2002 -- The commercial and geo-political conditions that have made the Republic of Korea one of the most advanced telecom markets in the world are explained in a new market report from KMI Research. KMI's recent research shows that by the end of 2000 Korea had deployed 300,000 cumulative route-kilometers of fiberoptic cables.
Fiber deployment for the next several years is expected to be mainly in local/feeder part of the networks, where traditional copper lines are still in the majority. KMI's research also shows that Korea is one of the most fiber-rich countries among advanced telecommunications markets in the world. As of 2000, installed fiber per capita in Korea was twice that of the United States, and fiber kilometer per square kilometer of land was almost eight times that of the United States.
As a result of government investment initiatives, Korea's telecom infrastructure has leapfrogged that of the U.S. and other developed economies, according to KMI's report titled Telecommunications Market in Korea: A Case Study Showing Fiber Demand in an Advanced Telecom Market. According to the report, Korea is technologically advanced in several respects including:
*Penetration of current and next-generation wireless services
*Households with high-speed Internet service
*Businesses and households with fiber-based access services
The report states that the comparatively high use of fiber-based access in Korea can partially be attributed to geographic and demographic circumstances. The country's population density is 16 times that of the U.S. (465 population per square km in Korea vs. 29 in the U.S.). Also, the Korean network operators, as a group, have installed more fiber per square km than their U.S. counterparts. This results in greater proximity to their customer base.
Topics covered in the report include:
*The Telecommunications Market in Korea including wireless and high-speed Internet
*The Government-sponsored Korean Information Infrastructure (KII) Plan
*Forecast of fiber deployment through 2005
*Profiles of key fiberoptic cable customers, including Korea Telecom, Powercomm and Hanaro Telecom
*Profiles of major fiberoptic cable vendors, including LG Cable & Machinery, Samsung Electronics Co., Mercury Corporation and Taihan Electric Wire Co.
The report contains up-to-date information of value to telecommunications executives, financial analysts, business development managers, telecom service providers, systems manufacturers, component suppliers and fiberoptic cable vendors.
KMI Research provides optical networking intelligence through its market reports, semi-monthly newsletter, fiberoptics route maps, and conferences on regional and undersea fiberoptics markets.
Telecommunications Market in Korea: A Case Study Showing Fiber Demand in an Advanced Telecom Market can be ordered online at: www.kmicorp.com.
Laser Focus World