Wireless LAN Wins Against 3rd Generation Mobile Phone

‘Good in the wireless LAN, but Bad in 3 Generation Mobile Phone.’

As a prospect of 3rd G mobile phone (IMT-2000) business has been gloomy, the wireless LAN has become a new alternative of the next generation mobile communications.

According to the communication industry on August 19, while the commercialization of IMT-2000 has been delayed from world nations, there is the market analysis which forecasts a depression of IMT-2000 and success on wireless LAN.

US Bancorp, the financial service of US forecasted through latest market report,

“Wireless LAN has more encouraging market prospect owing to fast speed, reasonable price and low investment expense than 3 Generation Mobile Phone. This report said that the wireless LAN service would take over IMT-2000 market through going into the phrase of active commercialization.

IDC, the US market research company forecasted that the world wireless LAN market of KRW 1,450,000,000 will largely grow to the market of KRW 3,720,000,000 increased by 34.2% over the previous year until 2006.

The wireless LAN is the high speed Internet service which can use the Internet of Max. 11Mbps using PDA and Notebook PC in ‘Hot Spot’ such as a certain area or building. It has disadvantages on a small Service Area and non-portability, but it has the reasonable price and fast speed over 2Mbps of IMT-2000.

However, it is a threat factor in the mobile phone companies which have found the future profits in the data communication service. Also, unlike IMT-2000 which requires the investment of nationwide communication network, it can provide the service with insufficient investment immediately. Accordingly, the cable companies such as KT, Hanaro Communications, Dacom and ONSE Telecom have competed severely in the market.

In US, communication companies such as Wayport, WiFi Metro, MobileStar and i-Pass have commercialized the wireless LAN service. So, corporate and individual subscribers have increased in number.

In Japan, the wireless LAN users sharply increase in number and total subscribers will estimate at 30,000,000 subscribers until 2006. As of July, the population of Japanese wireless LAN increases to 2,150,000 subscribers and the approx. 700 service areas will increase to 6120 areas by the end of the year.

Jo Gi-Ju, the manager of wire/wireless integrated service business team, KT said “There is the integrated product of existing 2nd generation mobile phone and wireless LAN. The domestic wireless LAN population of 20,000 people as of now will increase at 500,000 people within the year.”

Tae-Han Kim freewill@donga.com