IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/telpol/v49y2025i3s0308596125000102.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A dispute between Netflix and SK Broadband in South Korea: Who should pay the network usage fees?

Author

Listed:
  • Kim, Jihong
  • Lee, Heejin

Abstract

The advancement of digital technologies has led to the evolution of media content delivery methods. In particular, OTT services have experienced an explosive growth in the video content industry. The skyrocketing data traffic increases the burden on ISPs’ infrastructure, and the discourse on CPs’ payment of network usage fees has emerged. In digitalization, data traffic will inevitably increase, and related conflicts are expected to occur worldwide. Accordingly, it is significant to review the case of Netflix-SK Broadband in South Korea, the world’s significant legal dispute over the network usage fees. This study examines network usage fees and network neutrality as concepts relevant to the case, traces the litigation process, identifies the reasons for the settlement of the lawsuit, and discusses policy implications. This study suggests that the issue of network usage fees could become a trade issue and that a regulatory framework needs to be evolved accordingly. This study contributes to understanding the issue of network usage fees that will be increasingly important for global digital industries. As such, it can present a reference to the telecommunications and content industries and even to digital trade for their future debate and development.

Suggested Citation

  • Kim, Jihong & Lee, Heejin, 2025. "A dispute between Netflix and SK Broadband in South Korea: Who should pay the network usage fees?," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(3).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:telpol:v:49:y:2025:i:3:s0308596125000102
    DOI: 10.1016/j.telpol.2025.102913
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308596125000102
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.telpol.2025.102913?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:telpol:v:49:y:2025:i:3:s0308596125000102. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30471/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.