Keeping up with the Kims

The U.S. government isn't the only one hoping to stimulate its national economy by raising available Internet speeds. JooAng Daily in Korea reports that the Korea Communications Commission has announced an infrastructure investment plan that will increase high-speed iInternet service speeds to 1Gbps, and wireless broadband service speeds to 10Mbps. Both are 10x the current service speeds, which are far higher than those we enjoy (or endure) in the U.S..

Costs:

The plan calls for a total spending of 34.1 trillion won ($24.6 billion) over the next five years. The central government will put up 1.3 trillion won, with the remainder coming from private telecom operators. The project is expected to create 120,000 jobs.

Gotta like this too:

KT, the nation’s biggest landline phone operator, voiced support for the plan. “Under the plan, we won’t have to give up our landline phone business right away, and the mainstream is Internet telephony service, so we think the plan is positive,” said a KT official.

The KCC said the changes will make high-definition TV images up to 16 times clearer, and interactive TV services such as e-commerce and home schooling will also be possible. The service will also make it possible to watch I-Max films on home TVs.

Can you imagine an American telephone or cable company official saying the same thing?

So, a question. What does that kind of capacity to ordinary users invite for development, especially of the free and open source variety?