South Korea is the most internet-connected nation in the world. Most people already have 3G handsets, and are ready to try new services and devices as soon as they hit the market. A far cry from the copycats of old, Korean high-tech companies such as Samsung and LG are rapidly gaining market share throughout the world, proving their technology, know-how and patents are world class.

But, it has not always been like that. When Asian economies collapsed in 1997, the South Korean government had to find a new industry to stimulate growth. By focusing on IT and telecom under the motto "Digital or die," it has driven through a successful change in a just a few years.

International Data Corporation (IDC) says the country is expected to have 65 percent 3G penetration by 2009, the highest in the Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan, which has 97 percent 3G coverage and about 30 million of its 127 million inhabitants subscribing to 3G). And the country is in a world telecom hotspot. Nearby China, thanks to its huge population, is expected to have the largest number of 3G subscribers by 2009, with 98 million users. This also means the majority of Chinese people will have their first encounter with telecommunication through a mobile handset, not a fixed one. IDC also expects India, Singapore and Taiwan collectively to have 5.5 million 3G subscribers by 2009, with Taiwan accounting for about 4 million of these.

In the whole Asia-Pacific region (still excluding Japan), IDC says, there were 10.2 million subscribers to 3G services at the end of 2004. By 2009, this number is expected to be 142.6 million – quite a leap for the region, and quite a motivator to Europe and the US to keep up the good work.