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Mobile: Asia Moves Beyond 3G

Americans yearning for a turbo-charged mobile Web can have a peek into such a tech utopia in the Far East. As the U.S. moves into a 3G (third-generation mobile network) world, Asia is gearing up for mobile life post-3G. It's called HDSPA, high-speed downlink packet access, soon to be the nationwide network standard in South Korea. Korea's wireless companies have spent $5.4 billion on the technology, which moves data at up to 3.6 megabits per second faster than a DSL connection.

Meanwhile, Korean carrier KT is rolling out an even faster wireless network in Seoul, the nation's capital, where more than a quarter of the country's residents live. Backed by Intel, the telecom provider is set to unveil a mobile WiMAX standard, which is as fast as broadband cable. Check this out: the subscription cost is $32 per month for up to 1 gig of data downloads per month.

Read the whole story at Business Week »

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