In Korea almost 90 percent of households now have a broadband connection and when Seoul's inhabitants are on the move they have access to a choice of terrestrial or satellite digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) services or they may access the Internet using high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) or mobile WiMAX networks, known here as Wibro.
Many of the latest handsets that take advantage of these technologies were on display at Korea's Solutions and Content Exhibition and Conference (SEK 2007) last week which was opened by Korea's Minister of Information and Communication Rho Jun-hyong.
While visiting the Korea Telecom (KT) booth, the minister was briefed on the relative download speeds of Wibro and HSDPA where displays compared the data rates for KT Wibro and HSDPA.
The mobile WiMAX technology allows downloads at rates of up to almost three times the speed that HSDPA affords. Introductory promotions mean that the KT's Wibro service also costs considerably less.
Having received a licence in January 2005, KT began Wibro trials in early 2006, leading to a soft launch in parts of Seoul a year ago. In April this year, KT expanded Wibro to a full commercial service across metropolitan Seoul, at Incheon Airport and at 17 universities in seven cities; KT plans a network upgrade later this year.
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