South Korea is years ahead of the US with regard to broadband, mobile, and location. The most significant reason for this is government involvement. From Telecoms Korea:

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) deserves to take the credit for its leadership in transforming Korea into a world-class country in the wire/wireless telecommunication infrastructure and IT utilization in such a short period. Without the massive investment in high-speed broadband networking, allowing most Korean households access to the Internet, the Korea’s current digital society would not have been possible.

Unfettered capitalism often plays in favor of US-based innovation; software start-ups are one good example. However, our lack of government investment and leadership in technology has hampered our development in significant ways. This is especially true for broadband.