| Practical Information > Communications > Internet |
| Broadband Services | Dial-up Services | PC Bangs (Internet Cafes) |
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Internet Korea has one of the highest rates of Internet usage in the world. Due to strong government support, it also has one of the highest rates of broadband connectivity, with most households being able to choose ISDN, ADSL, cable, or satellite in addition to traditional dial-up modems for connectivity. Because local calls are charged, people who spend a lot of time online dislike dialup connections.
The Korean top-level domain is .kr and major sub-domains include .co (company), .or (organization), .go (government), and .ac (academic). Many companies also use the main top-level domains (.com, .net, and .org). These days, many companies are also using Korean language domain names (written in Hangeul). |
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Broadband Services
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Broadband companies offer fast Internet access to homes and businesses through leased lines, cable modems, xDSL, satellite, and others. Because of competition, prices can change quickly. Companies periodically offer special rates when adding a new service to a neighborhood.
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Dial-up Services
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Although broadband Internet services are available, some people may still need dial-up access to the Internet. In additional to KT, several other ISPs offer dialup access over regular phone lines. Several have special dial-up access numbers with discounted rates.
E-mail and Internet Service Providers
(The following ISPs have information available in Korean only)
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PC Bangs (Internet Cafes)
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Similar to a cyber cafe, PC Bangs offer users high speed Internet access for very cheap rates. People can spend hours checking e-mail, playing network games, or trading stocks for about 1,000 won per hour. Because of their popularity, PC Bangs have cropped up in every neighborhood. Additionally, some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have special Internet cafes that registered users of their services can use for free.
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