Telecoms

That 100Mbs Internet Speed in Korea?

Q: Key Point 4: I'm disappointed -- it's like subscribing to a 1Mbps DSL...

I'm disappointed -- it's like subscribing to a 1Mbps DSL in the Philippines and only getting 430Kbps.

Abe Olandres February 20, 2010 · 2 min read

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South Korea has been on the top of the list for having the fastest broadband internet in the world for the longest time. So, the very first thing I did when I got here was test their internet connection.

So, is it true that they got 100Mbps here? Here’s what I got:

I tried download large files and was getting 1.5MB/s download speeds in the evenings — that’s a full movie in just 7 minutes.

It’s fast but nowhere near the claimed 100Mbps. I was actually lucky as several others in our group could not get anything higher than 10Mbps.

The 43Mbps I got was the fastest ever I logged in the last 4 days. So if the subscribed connection is for 100Mbps, we’re only getting 43% of that, at best.

I’m disappointed — it’s like subscribing to a 1Mbps DSL in the Philippines and only getting 430Kbps. *hehehe* You never really get your actual subscribed speed, even if you have the world’s fastest broadband connection.

The only other issue that I encountered is that I can’t upload videos on YouTube. I get this message whenever I try to upload videos:

We have voluntarily disabled this functionality on kr.youtube.com because of the Korean real-name verification law.

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Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

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90 Comments

arnoldarieta · 15 years ago

You know what, after I saw the speedtest in Korea, I rapidly changed a bit my goal in life. I’m now wanted to live in Korea to download all HD Movie files around the internet! Woah!!!

Jim · 15 years ago

I also live in Korea (and have for some time) my 100Mbps (fibre in my entire apartment complex)connection runs me around 25,000 Won a month (about $23 USD) and I normally get 90+ on downloads from servers located inside of South Korea, but results vary dramatically when DLing from the US or Europe of course.

vince · 15 years ago

$25 x 30 = $750 a month
$750 / 43 ~ $17 per 1mbps or ~ php 700

pretty cheap considering my DSL is around $23 per month for a 1mbps connection. Since that is a hotel, its wayyy overpriced compared to what a normal household pays

bath panel · 15 years ago

Philippines, Technology News & Reviews was hugely illuminating cheers, I reckon your audience would possibly desire much more items similar to this. Keep the articles being published. As the man said I will be back.

wlangmagawa · 16 years ago

meron nang offer ang skybroadband yun lang initially available sa rockwell land…Plan 24 Mbps, 48 Mbps at 112 Mbps…yun lang not affordable for the ordinary consumer.

kmaro · 16 years ago

see the difference from this interesting FREE speedo tests to external servers http://bit.ly/sptester

iPod Torrents · 16 years ago

How do I get these files on to my iPad ?

ylre · 16 years ago

Aside from the generalized commercialism reason of why the internet speed and prices here are way beyond ROK, could it also be because of our geographic situation, being an archipelago and all? Would that account to anything? Aside from, of course,PH is considered as a developing country compared to them..?

Just wondering too why such big difference in net speed. :(

Dhan · 16 years ago

I doubt the plan 100mbps offered by globe would be stable and would even achieve 60-80% of its advertised speed. I’m on 1mbps plan of globe with a souvenir of routine disconnections (sarcasm implied) what more on a 100mbps.

Stability and network reinforcement is what they need to be doing not advertising speed connection when they can’t even stabilize lower speed subscriptions.

POGIDAW · 16 years ago

meron d2 100mbps 13k

fr0stbyte · 16 years ago

You should try going to Japan. I heard you get a hefty plan for 6000 Yen (3000 Yen on promo) on your monthly. That is, of course, if you’re gonna move there. Same bit with the Japanese.. 100Mbps ang regular plan nila. Although I did see speedtest results never going past 63Mbps. Still, should we even complain? Those kinds of speeds would be dream for the common Filipino. We’re stuck with Telcos treating us like cash cows instead of upgrading the infrastructure,. Sigh..

vern · 16 years ago

Using speedtest.net to measure your connection, not getting what you expected, and concluding that advertised speeds must be false isn’t very scientific. In addition, advertised speeds are never to the “internet”, but to the first hop. Speeds on the wider network may also not be optimal. How large is the pipe that you are downloading from? If they can only fill 50mbits, then you will never get 100mbits. The only realistic way to test your speed is to make sure you are routed to a server that can handle that kind of traffic and that every network, router, etc. on the way to that server cooperates … which is why any commercial telecommunications company has SLAs.

Arthur · 16 years ago

But how much is a 100mbs connection in South Korea in terms of monthly fees? How much is a Gigabit connection?

petiksmode · 16 years ago

wow ang mahal nmn pala per day e, kya mabilis talaga.

jp1206 · 16 years ago

i reported the korean youtube thing last year. they have a law before that requires korean uploaders to provide their ID number before they can upload videos. this is due to their cyber-defamation law. since many reacted on this so youtube decided to preven koreans to upload videos… :)

Billy Sy · 16 years ago

you’re getting that speed maybe because whoever you are downloading that speedtest from doenst have a pipe big enough to fill in your speed. its difficult to fill up a pipe that large. i suggest you try to download ubuntu via torrent (ive always used it as a method to fully see the capable speed under the best conditions)

Meg · 16 years ago

Ahh, what’s the big deal if Korea has the fastest connection? At least we can always download/get what we want.

I agree with Mike. Philippines is not so nationalistic. It’s so obvious.

sherwin · 16 years ago

pag puro tagalog na ang mga website na gusto nating puntahan at puro dito na hosted ang mga websites at lahat ng telco interconnected at wala tayong pakialam sa mga content ng mga nasa US, magiging sobrang mura na ng 100Mbps internet connection din dito sa pinas.

pero hanggang nasa labas ng bansa ang mga content na gusto ng mga pinoy at mga website ng pinoy ay naka host sa ibang bansa at dependent tayo sa mga international submarine systems sobra, nde magmumura ang internet dito sa pilipinas.

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 16 years ago

Hi Guys,

I was using the internet connection at our Hotel and it was a paid one ($25 per day). I measured it every day during the 4 days I stayed there and it never went above 50Mbps.

Actually, among our group that used the internet, I was the one that got speeds this high.

Vance · 16 years ago

May bayandsl din sa province yung nga lang location location location! hehe

MyMaria · 16 years ago

I think we should have at least “options”… here in the province I’m stuck with just GLOBE internet. What the… and well, yeah there’s SmartBro which is faster but the landline + internet deal wins. I’m just sad they downgraded me back to the 1mbps speed (from 2mbps) for a year now… the reason? our system can’t handle the speed anymore. WTF?!

simplynice93 · 16 years ago

Nakadismaya talaga ang internet connection speed dito sa Pinas. Gusto lang nila kumita ng pera but giving us very bad service.

Allan · 16 years ago

oi, abe! asa Korea ka pala! happy birthday! dyan ba ang handaan? hehehe :D

symbiandreamsdotcom · 16 years ago

hahah.parang globe lines ah lolz

Totem · 16 years ago

How much is the monthly bill? If only Philippines has that speed in a lower price.. tsktsk..

James · 16 years ago

I’m not sure how valid you test is given its from your location to an Industrial city in Northern China. I’m sure the ISP might be ok at ensuring that there 100Mbps between your location and them, and maybe a lot of Korea. But I’d imagine they would have a few more issues ensuring the connection over the border and up to Changchun was all good.

Mac · 16 years ago

Sir Abe. Did you go to shell magallanes? i think i saw you there?^^

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 16 years ago

@mac – my place is near Shell Magallanes so I go there to gas up.

Jhay · 16 years ago

Wish those speeds were available here in the Philippines at much affordable rates.

Andrew · 16 years ago

We also have this 100Mbps here in the Philippines!

Some prerequisites are needed though you need to live at Forbes Park Subdivision. Then 15,000 monthly is the subscription fee.

Provider : Globe Hyper-Speed

http://site.globe.com.ph/web/broadband/plans/hyperspeed?sid=S4BR0suxpRcAAGbbYXYAAABSe

MIKE · 16 years ago

Internet speed is real time indicator on how far a country had gone so far. Philippines and South Korea are at same level technologically several decades ago. However, unlike us Filipinos, South Koreans are very nationalistic people. They actually learned technical know how from the Americans. Just like the Japanese,Chinese and Taiwanese, they applied their knowledge got from the States to their own country while we Filipinos did not adapt Americans technology but instead adapted other aspects like fashion and consumerism. As a result, we are just consumers of Korean, Japanese, Chinese & Taiwanese made products.

onealberto · 16 years ago

waaah!!! thats so cool!! 100Mbs, ambilis nun. I would love to experience it too…

IC DeaDPiPoL · 16 years ago

I thought Youtube’s Korean restriction only applied to accounts not made in Korea

http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2009/04/14/youtube-cripples-own-site-to-evade-korean-law/

[quote]Korean reactions to the changes made by YouTube have been mostly indifferent. Google itself publicized a workaround where a Korean user could switch their preference setting to a country other than Korea, bypassing the limits set within the Korean site.

Also, Koreans accessing the site outside of Korea and non-Koreans (assuming they do not use the Korean language version) living in Korea have not been affected.
[/quote]

Vance · 16 years ago

thats not good… baka naman Manila style yan. location location location hehe.

Phillip · 16 years ago

Probably the ISP was just having some problems. Here in our hospital in Gangnam, Seoul, my download rate reaches around 60-70MB/sec. However, typical cable internet speeds for residental lines is about 10mb/sec. KT has a FiTH (Fiber to Home) service that is 100mb/sec but I have not experience with them. Internet access is free in most coffee shops however foreigners might need to input their ARC numbers.

Adrian · 16 years ago

nakaka badtrip nga yun.

jempres · 16 years ago

hi sir. hope you’re enjoying your stay in Korea.

Too bad you got a slower connection. You might be connected to an older line with lower speed. In our house (just outside Seoul), I’ve never tested but I could download a movie in 3-4 mins.
And yeah, the real name verification thing is annoying but there’s really an easy way to get around it.
Take care. ^^

cornflakes · 16 years ago

well, that is really a great speed na compared to PLDT and Globe’s.

r2 · 16 years ago

is that direct download or p2p?

anonymous · 16 years ago

SkyBroadband offers 12mbps for residential.. have u tested this yuga? or anyone else around here?

-Sent via YugaTech Mobile App

Dan The Beast · 16 years ago

bakit ba laging deprived ang mga tulad nating pinoy sa ganyan dito mismo sa ating sariling bansa? halatang huli na tayo. tsk tsk tsk!

iamupset · 16 years ago

sir abe talaga.. you downloaded a movie in 7 mins and still your not satisfied?? hehehe..

Andre Marcelo-Tanner · 16 years ago

not satisfied, pfftt :)
im sure there are reasons the real speed cant be achieved. anyway talk about the apps of high speed broad band that they use there compared to here.