AireLive Optimizes Its App Technology to Suit U.S. Network Environment
An Aug 20 article on Tech Crunch states South Korea has the fastest internet connection in the world with an average speed of at least 25 mbps, and developers are optimizing their technology in order to achieve optimal app function for American users.
The contributor of the article, David Jun, AireLive founder and CEO, says AireLive has been designed with little concern on the effects of internet connection to the functionality of the video application. However, when the product has been set for testing in the U.S. with an average internet speed of 11 mbps, the developer has found it to be quite a challenge.
According to a report by Korea JoongAng Daily on Nov 7 last year, AireLive app integrates the key features of AfreecaTV, Youtube, KakaoTalk, Twitter and Facebook, allowing users to share videos live or recorded.
"AireLive was developed like a car being able to drive on an open freeway," explains Jun. "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."
The developers have taken their AireLive app in the different parts of the U.S. to see how their technology will fair with American users and have found that internet speeds vary from one area to another, taking into consideration the mobile carrier based on home and work locations.
"With that in mind, I knew it was essential to test AireLive's functionality on multiple devices across several carriers," says Jun "To get a clear sense of where we needed to improve our technology."
After thorough tests, retests and adjustments, the developers have been able to improve the functionality of AireLive before the app's launch in March.
"It could be worthwhile to open a research and development center in the U.S.," suggests Jun to other companies. "Having a team on the ground, using U.S. internet connections consistently, will give you a much better sense of the differences and potential hurdles that lie ahead."
Jun urges companies to know their users. American users, for example, are much more accustomed to slow and spotty internet connections compared to users from South Korea who expect their connections to be fast and reliable.