The nation's easternmost Dokdo Islets will be connected to the mainland by broadband Internet in April.

State-run Korea Telecom Wednesday announced plans to offer free high-speed Internet services to a coast guard contingent stationed on the disputed islets. The Internet service will be offered by using Koreasat-Three communication satellite. KT will also donate ten personal computers.

The rocky volcanic outcroppings are at the center of a territorial dispute with Japan, which laid claim to the islets after its colonial occupation of Korea in the early 20th century.

Currently, 37 coast guard officers and three lighthouse keepers are staying on the islets, located about halfway between South Korea and Japan.

In a related development, a Korean civic group has proposed building a floating hotel on the islets. The group said in a statement Tuesday that the project would bolster South Korea's territorial sovereignty over the islets.