Expanding ICT Infrastructure for Rural Areas in Korea

The digital divide between urban areas and rural areas has been expanded continuously in several reasons. One of the reasons is the difference of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure between those two areas; the difference is mainly originated from the business situation where broadcasting-communication operators are reluctant to investing on the rural ICT infrastructure which seems much less profitable. Korea Communications Commission (KCC) has conducted the projects on building BcN in rural areas in cooperation with private telecommunication companies since 2010. The projects aim at eliminating the digital divide between urban and rural areas, promoting the balanced development, and enhancing the welfare in rural areas. In this paper, we analyze the current status of ICT infrastructure for rural areas in Korea and the governmental policies for expanding the ICT infrastructure. We also analyze the various convergence services on the rural ICT infrastructure, for which the pilot projects have been conducted. Based on the analysis, we propose future directions for expanding the ICT infrastructure more successfully.