SEOUL: IPTV - internet protocol television - broadcasting over South Korean broadband networks in real-time was, until a few days ago, technically illegal. However, the country's National Assembly last week legalized this anachronism.

According to the Assembly's website, the country's two largest broadband-service operators by sales, Hanarotelecom and KT Corporation are now poised to launch IPTV services as a new source of revenue.

The move comes as a welcome respite to increasingly sluggish growth in traditional broadband and telephone markets.

Data sourced from Wall Street Journal Online. additional content by WARC staff