Regional - Internet - Asia Pacific in 2005

Synopsis

Archived Report. This report was archived in November 2006 and has not been updated. Asia is the world’s largest regional Internet market, measured by users. The number of Internet users in the region was estimated to have passed 300 million in early 2005 and was expected to approach 380 million by year-end. Internet growth in Asia has been dominated by Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. China has joined this group, although it still has a low penetration rate. The developing economies of the region have had considerably slower growth, having had to deal with high access costs, poor infrastructure and the slow pace of deregulation. This in turn has limited the potential for achieving the social and economic benefits of a country being online.