Korea ranks fifth among OECD nations in fixed broadband penetration

Published : Feb 24, 2017 - 15:06 Updated : Feb 24, 2017 - 15:06

Switzerland ranked first among advanced countries in terms of fixed broadband subscriptions last year, with South Korea ranking fifth, according to data by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Friday.

Switzerland was the leading country for fixed broadband subscriptions as of the end of June 2016 among the 36 OECD countries, with 51.42 subscribers per 100 inhabitants, the data showed.

(Yonhap)

Denmark came in second with 42.76 and the Netherlands with 41.77, while South Korea ranked fifth among the OECD nations with 40.13, the data showed. The OECD average was 25.6.

Fixed-line broadband subscriptions in the 36-country OECD area reached 380 million as of June 2016, up from 363 million a year earlier and making an average penetration of 29.8 percent.

Broadband connections included in the OECD data have download speeds equal to or faster than 256 kilobit per second in subscriptions, such as DSL, cable and fiber-to-the-home.

DSL remains the prevalent technology, making up 44.7 percent of fixed broadband subscriptions, but it continues to be gradually replaced by fiber, now accounting for 20.1 percent of subscriptions. Cable made up most of the rest with 32.2 percent. (Yonhap)