Wi-Bro Named Global Wireless Standard

Wi-Bro (Wireless Broadband), South Korea’s wireless communication technology that allows users to surf the net inside a moving car, has been designated as the international standard.

It is the first time that Korea has taken the initiative in setting an international standard. Wi-Bro technology is a relative newcomer on the world scene, and this will pave the way for domestic companies to sell related communication devices and management tactics to companies abroad.

The Ministry of Information and Communication announced yesterday that Wi-Bro technology was finalized as the international standard at a recent conference of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) held in Taiwan, and also said that the details would be published early next month.

Wi-Bro, a technology co-developed by the Korean Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), an affiliate of the Ministry of Information and Communication, and other private firms such as Samsung Electronics and Korea Telecom, is another accomplishment for Korean information technology, following the success of CDMA technology.

Once communication services based on Wi-Bro technology commence overseas, Samsung Electronics will be able to sell its Wi-Bro devices, including cell phones, abroad, and Korea Telecom will begin exporting services and receiving royalties from foreign companies.

Minister of Information and Communication Chin Dae-je said, “Wi-Bro services will commence in Korea next April, before any other country in the world, which will give domestic firms an advantage in the mobile communication devices market.”

The “Wi-Max Forum,” a gathering of producers of communication devices such as Intel and Samsung Electronics, has approved Wi-Bro technology as one of the norms of a mobile version of Wi-Max, which will put mobile Internet services into practice. Ron Resnick, president of the Wi-Max Forum, said he “didn’t believe that such a service could be attainable straight away, before seeing Korea’s Wi-Bro technology,” while adding, “The Wi-Max Forum will promote the widespread use of Wi-Bro technology and its servicing tactics around the world.”

Sang-Hoon Kim sanhkim@donga.com