Unfairness of being expected to compete on a level playing field

The leader in Saturday's Times was devoted to a discussion on the different speeds of broadband access available in the UK and elsewhere.

In South Korea and Japan, entire cities have already been hooked up to broadband service providers that pour data, sound and top-quality television pictures into myriad devices at up to 50 times the speed of the average British broadband connection. While Britons wrestle with outdated services and infrastructure, the technological revolution promised in the dot-com boom has finally arrived in the Far East, and its social and economic implications are clear. These will be more active, more creative and better-informed societies. Their businesses will have an unfair advantage and their people will gain a better understanding of the world around them.

I'm puzzled by the phrase Their businesses will have an unfair advantage.

Why is this unfair? Have the Japanese or Koreans forced BT or NTL not to provide better broadband speeds. I don't think so. This is equivalent to complaining that a student who got a better qualification than you, did so unfairly because they put in the necessary hours of study and revision.