In March 1995, the South Korean government launched the Korean Information Infrastructure (KII) program to build a national high-speed broadband backbone and related systems. The program set a long-term public-private roadmap for upgrading core networks used by government, schools, research institutions, and eventually households.
From 1995 to 1997, KII implementation began with major carriers building high-speed optical-fiber backbone networks and connecting many cities and public agencies. This phase mattered because it created the “middle mile” capacity that later made mass-market broadband expansion faster and cheaper.
In 1998, Thrunet launched one of Korea’s first commercial high-speed Internet offerings using cable-modem technology. This helped shift broadband from a government-backbone concept to a competitive consumer service with real household demand.
In 1999, the government promoted the Cyber Korea 21 policy initiative to speed up national informatization and network buildout. It linked infrastructure investment to broader goals like workforce skills, public-sector digitization, and industry growth, reinforcing broadband as a national development priority.
In April 1999, Hanaro Telecom entered the market with ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), bringing broadband over existing telephone copper lines. This was a turning point because DSL could scale rapidly in dense apartment housing, pushing prices down and adoption up.
In June 1999, incumbent KT launched its own ADSL service, accelerating a nationwide rollout. Competition among major providers helped normalize broadband as a standard household utility rather than a niche product.
In June 2000, the government launched the “Ten Million People Internet Education” project to expand basic digital skills. This demand-side push complemented network construction by helping more citizens use online services, making broadband subscriptions more valuable to households.
In April 2002, the Ministry of Information and Communication published e-Korea Vision 2006, the third master plan for informatization promotion (2002–2006). The plan emphasized advancing information infrastructure, strengthening laws and institutions, and expanding e-commerce and public-sector IT use.
In October 2002, South Korea surpassed 10 million high-speed Internet subscribers, a milestone publicly marked by the Ministry of Information and Communication. Reaching this scale signaled that broadband had moved from early adoption to mainstream household connectivity.
In December 2003, South Korea commercialized W-CDMA, a 3G mobile standard that supported faster mobile data services. This mattered for the national ICT buildout because it extended “always-on” connectivity beyond fixed lines, complementing household broadband.
In 2004, a consortium led by the Ministry of Information and Communication and private telecom and cable firms began the Broadband Convergence Network (BcN) initiative. The goal was to support media convergence—integrating services like voice, data, and video over high-capacity networks.
In February 2004, the Ministry of Information and Communication announced the IT839 Strategy to drive new ICT services, infrastructure, and devices through the late 2000s. It built on earlier broadband success by pushing next-generation networks and “convergence” applications rather than only basic access.
In late 2004, WiBro (a Korean wireless broadband technology aligned with mobile WiMAX) was standardized domestically, following spectrum steps earlier in the decade. This initiative aimed to expand high-speed access in more mobile settings, complementing fixed broadband networks.
By the end of 2005, the Korea Information Infrastructure project was completed earlier than its original long-term schedule, after about 11 years of work starting in 1995. A 2006 closing ceremony highlighted KII’s optical transmission network linking 144 cities and its role in modernizing public-sector connectivity—marking a clear transition from initial backbone building to next-generation convergence strategies.
South Korea's Broadband Rollout and National ICT Buildout (1995–2010)