Conflict and security blocking was carried
out by Myanmar, China, South Korea, India,
Pakistan, and Thailand most frequently in regard
to groups or movements implicated in “secessionist” or pro-independence activities, or in
regard to disputed territories and border conflicts.
Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Thailand, and
Singapore filtered Internet tools, including free
Web-based e-mail providers, blog hosting services, and more frequently proxies and other circumvention tools. South Korea blocked pirated
software on a nominal basis.
Internet in Asia
Some of the most and least connected countries
in the world are located in Asia: Japan, South
Korea, and Singapore all have Internet penetration rates of over 65 percent, while Afghanistan,
Myanmar, and Nepal remain three of thirty countries with less than 1 percent of its citizens online. 1
Among the countries in the world with the
most restricted access, North Korea allows only a
small community of elites and foreigners online.
Most users must rely on Chinese service
providers for connectivity, while the limited number of North Korean–sponsored Web sites are
hosted abroad.
Even with an Internet penetration rate of only
10 percent, China was host to 137 million Internet
users at the end of 2006. 2 The Chinese government predicted that within two years China would
overtake the United States in becoming the country with the greatest number of Internet users
worldwide. 3 Similarly, though India’s Internet
community is the fifth largest in the world, users
amounted to only about 4 percent of the country’s population in 2005. 4
Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Nepal are
among the world’s least-developed countries.
Despite the constraints on resources and serious
developmental and political challenges, however,
citizens are showing steadily increasing demand
for Internet services such as Voice-over Internet
Protocol (VoIP), blogging, and chat. The Internet
market in Nepal is growing rapidly as a result of
a competitive Internet service provider (ISP) market and low Internet access prices. 5 In
Afghanistan, the Internet and information communications technology (ICT) have been identified as important sources of growth and development, with the potential to create opportunities
for disadvantaged groups such as women, whose
literacy rate stands at least 10 percent lower than
the overall adult literacy rate of 28 percent. 6
The range in access to broadband and
high-speed Internet in Asia on a national basis is
also staggering. South Korea has the highest rate
of Internet penetration in the world: more than 89
percent of South Korean households had Internet
access, and 75 percent of them used broadband
in 2005. 7 As a result of heavy investment in its
broadband infrastructure following the Asian
financial crisis in the late 1990s, South Korea provides its citizens with a national network that carries data at speeds up to 50 Mb/s. 8 In 2005 the
number of Internet users in Singapore reached
2.42 million, or 67 percent of the population, 9 one
of the highest Internet penetration rates in the
world. Singapore became the “first fully connected country in the world” by acting on a commonly held belief that the integration of technology is
essential to achieving economic growth. 10 Home
access is commonplace, with residential dialup
and broadband subscriptions totaling more than
2.1 million. 11 Although Thailand has a penetration
rate of 19 percent, homes and businesses in
Bangkok and other major cities account for most
of the connectivity; 12 only around 15 percent of
schools in 2004 had access the Internet, and
broadband access for households is at less than
2 percent penetration. 13 In Pakistan, broadband
and high-speed Internet is accessible only to
wealthier individuals or businesses: the majority
of home Internet users are connected by
modem, while cybercafés tend to split one
modem or DSL connection over many computers, reducing connection speed.
156
Regional Overviews
out by Myanmar, China, South Korea, India,
Pakistan, and Thailand most frequently in regard
to groups or movements implicated in “secessionist” or pro-independence activities, or in
regard to disputed territories and border conflicts.
Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Thailand, and
Singapore filtered Internet tools, including free
Web-based e-mail providers, blog hosting services, and more frequently proxies and other circumvention tools. South Korea blocked pirated
software on a nominal basis.
Internet in Asia
Some of the most and least connected countries
in the world are located in Asia: Japan, South
Korea, and Singapore all have Internet penetration rates of over 65 percent, while Afghanistan,
Myanmar, and Nepal remain three of thirty countries with less than 1 percent of its citizens online. 1
Among the countries in the world with the
most restricted access, North Korea allows only a
small community of elites and foreigners online.
Most users must rely on Chinese service
providers for connectivity, while the limited number of North Korean–sponsored Web sites are
hosted abroad.
Even with an Internet penetration rate of only
10 percent, China was host to 137 million Internet
users at the end of 2006. 2 The Chinese government predicted that within two years China would
overtake the United States in becoming the country with the greatest number of Internet users
worldwide. 3 Similarly, though India’s Internet
community is the fifth largest in the world, users
amounted to only about 4 percent of the country’s population in 2005. 4
Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Nepal are
among the world’s least-developed countries.
Despite the constraints on resources and serious
developmental and political challenges, however,
citizens are showing steadily increasing demand
for Internet services such as Voice-over Internet
Protocol (VoIP), blogging, and chat. The Internet
market in Nepal is growing rapidly as a result of
a competitive Internet service provider (ISP) market and low Internet access prices. 5 In
Afghanistan, the Internet and information communications technology (ICT) have been identified as important sources of growth and development, with the potential to create opportunities
for disadvantaged groups such as women, whose
literacy rate stands at least 10 percent lower than
the overall adult literacy rate of 28 percent. 6
The range in access to broadband and
high-speed Internet in Asia on a national basis is
also staggering. South Korea has the highest rate
of Internet penetration in the world: more than 89
percent of South Korean households had Internet
access, and 75 percent of them used broadband
in 2005. 7 As a result of heavy investment in its
broadband infrastructure following the Asian
financial crisis in the late 1990s, South Korea provides its citizens with a national network that carries data at speeds up to 50 Mb/s. 8 In 2005 the
number of Internet users in Singapore reached
2.42 million, or 67 percent of the population, 9 one
of the highest Internet penetration rates in the
world. Singapore became the “first fully connected country in the world” by acting on a commonly held belief that the integration of technology is
essential to achieving economic growth. 10 Home
access is commonplace, with residential dialup
and broadband subscriptions totaling more than
2.1 million. 11 Although Thailand has a penetration
rate of 19 percent, homes and businesses in
Bangkok and other major cities account for most
of the connectivity; 12 only around 15 percent of
schools in 2004 had access the Internet, and
broadband access for households is at less than
2 percent penetration. 13 In Pakistan, broadband
and high-speed Internet is accessible only to
wealthier individuals or businesses: the majority
of home Internet users are connected by
modem, while cybercafés tend to split one
modem or DSL connection over many computers, reducing connection speed.
156
Regional Overviews