Optimizing South Korean Technology For American Users
Navigating culture and business practices can be a trying task for any company going global. For tech companies, this often can mean coping with varying degrees of Internet connections from different service providers. If one is not careful, this could be an insurmountable hurdle. Success or failure can depend on a company’s ability to quickly adapt and prepare for the unexpected.
I developed AireLive in South Korea with very little concern about Internet speeds affecting its ability to function the way we designed it.
South Korea is well-known for having the world’s fastest Internet connections, with speeds averaging around 25 mbps, and higher. The next closest country on the list, Hong Kong, averages around 16 mbps, with the United States well behind at 11 mbps.
Developing an application in a country like South Korea, where performance is maximized, can be a challenge when that app has to be tested in a country with less optimal Internet speeds, like the U.S.
I never devoted a lot of thought to the possibility of living in a city that had varying degrees of Internet speed and connectivity, but it turned out to be a huge factor in AireLive’s success.
AireLive was developed like a car being able to drive on an open freeway. This allowed us to develop many different features on one platform. Our development process was very seamless, and it was a big advantage for us to be able to develop our app in South Korea.