The smaller players will seek mergers with bigger players. For ordinary Koreans, the cut-throat competition has been a boon, and they have not been slow to take full advantage. Go to any PC bang and one can sample the latest digital delights at rock-bottom prices. Children, college students and adults alike spend hours on multiplayer network games like Starcraft. Couch-potato types can watch movies over the Internet at 90 cents a pop, or maybe catch up on an episode of a TV soap they have missed.
Girls send e-mails with video clips of themselves to their boyfriends.
Many industry insiders expect broadband access charges to fall further in coming months as competition gets tougher. Growing subscriber bases and economies of scale should also make it possible for providers to cut charges as they expand. Mark Yoon, an Internet analyst for Merrill Lynch in Seoul, says the government's recent decision to throw open broadband networks by allowing rivals to use one another's network could boost growth even further. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you.