Special Report: Pan-Asian Media - Asia Online.

The net is booming in Asia. But the big players are learning localisation is the key to the market. Rob Gray reports.

Internet megabrands such as Yahoo!, MSN and Google have been understandably frantic to make an impression in Asia. It is, after all, about keeping up with the lift-off of the world's fastest-growing medium in the world's fastest-growing advertising region.

It was never going to be easy. This vast market remains highly fragmented, and strong local players hold their own in the continent's major markets.

Internet usage is mouth-wateringly high across the region. Estimates suggest that the number of web users in China will have risen by a staggering 30 million this year (to 90 million), while South Korea is the world leader in broadband penetration.

The growth prospects for online advertising are highly encouraging. Over the next four years, MSN expects Asia's share of the global internet ad cake to …