Communications in the East Asian Federation

Communications in the East Asian Federation are facilitated by one of the most advanced telecommunications networks in the world. The country is widely seen by global industry groups as the world leader in telecommunications, both in technology and citizen access. The telecommunications network is overseen by the State Offices for Development and Defense. Internal communications are facilitated primarily through the Integrated Defense Network, a high-bandwidth national fiber-optic network connecting 99.3% of the population of the Federation's core regions, with satellite and line-of-sight redundancy. External communications are carried through a series of transnational fiber-optic and copper submarine cables. Traditional media, such as newspapers, magazines, and televisions, and also new forms of media, such as social networks and the internet, are key forms of news and entertainment diffusion.

History

Government pushes for technological innovation in the 1990s in order to maintain competitiveness on the global stage led to the creation of the National Broadband Policy, which called for the creation of a high-capacity national communications network that would carry voice and data signals to every citizen within twenty years. Financed by the major telecoms corporations and maintained by the State Office for Development, the National Communications System, precursor to the modern Integrated Defense Network, was completed between Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, and Seogyeong on October 21, 1997. Extensions were built with more security and speed improvements, and, after upgrades to the initial segments, was designated critical to national defense. Maintenance and upkeep functions were transferred to the State Office for Defense, and the Network Defense Command was created to oversee the network's security.

Today, the Network Defense Command screens network traffic crossing the nation's borders for possible threats and intrusions, and also keeps the domestic network in good working order. Redundancy has been built into key areas of the network to ensure constant operation in the event of a network disruption. Such redundancy efforts include satellite uplinks in major cities, to connect with the ConSat constellation, and shortwave relays in rural areas. The State Office for Development's role, while reduced from overarching control of the national network, is an important one, regulating civilian and corporate use of the national network, and acting as consumer protection regulator for internet service providers and telephone service providers.

Telecom networks in Taiwan and Northeast China are currently being upgraded to IDN specifications, with expansions and upgrades set to be complete in Taiwan by 2016, and China by 2025.

Telephone

There are approximately 169 million main-line phone subscribers in the East Asian Federation, with the balance skewed to the west, with the most subscribers in the Northeastern China region. Mobile, or cellular, phones are ubiquitous and much more pervasive in East Asian society than traditional land-line phones. There are an estimated 310 million mobile phone subscribers in the East Asian Federation, and mobile phones are used for many everyday tasks, such as the purchase of goods and services, and the use of the internet. There are seventeen major mobile network operators providing prepaid and postpaid mobile phone service to customers across the nation.

Internet

Access to the internet is one of the most important parts of East Asian Federation citizenship, and is considered a basic right of a citizen in the eyes of the federal government. This is necessary because many government services in several localities have been completely relocated to the internet as a part of Seogyeong-funded austerity-triggered digitalization efforts during the recession of the mid-2000s. In theory, every citizen of the East Asian Federation is guaranteed free, high-speed internet access from the government as a part of the Integrated Defense Network. In practice, however, the Integrated Defense Network only provides universal coverage in the Korean and Japanese regions, with upgrades underway in the Chinese regions and external territories. Speeds of up to 4 Mbit/s are guaranteed by the State Office for Development, with 20 GB of bandwidth; past these limits, citizens pay Internet Service Providers for enhanced service.

Radio

Radio, once one of the most important means of communication in the former countries constituting the East Asian Federation, have sharply declined in significance over the years. Terrestrial radio stations, with over a thousand of them at radio's peak in the Federation in the 1980s, have dwindled in number to about 400 nationwide. Satellite radio is becoming a popular service in the country, with sets featured in many new cars and some mobile phones. There are an estimated 120 million terrestrial radio sets in use across the country, and 78 million satellite radio sets, with an average of three million sets activated per year.

Television

Televisons are widespread in the East Asian Federation, following decades of intense competition between the many consumer electronics manufactureers in the country. Television sets can be found in all corners of the coutnry, from dense urban areas such as Tokyo, to rural southern islands off Taiwan. There are over 3,000 television stations in the country, and 81 syndicated networks. There are an estimated 250 million television sets in use across the Federation.