KT tests ultra-fast Internet service

KT Corp., Korea’s biggest telecommunications company, kicked off a trial run yesterday of its ultra-high-speed Internet service that combines communications, broadcasting and the Internet. The trial run of the broad convergence network, or BcN, is the third of its kind in the country, following a similar service commenced by a consortium led by Dacom Corp., the country’s second-largest fixed-line carrier, and SK Telecom Co., the nation’s top mobile phone carrier. KT will provide comprehensive multimedia services, including telecommunications, broadcasting and Internet, through its BcN trial networks in the major cities of Seoul, Daejeon and Daegu as well as some cities in Gyeonggi province to 600 test subscribers. It plans to expand the number to 2,500 by December. “The BcN network will astonish people with its new digital content and providing unprecedented convenience,” said Nam Joong-soo, chief executive officer of KT, which plans to invest 1.2 trillion won ($1.15 billion) annually from 2006 to 2010 to help with the nation’s overall IT technology.