Abstract
As Korea entered the era of 2G mobile communications, it adopted a brand new CDMA system suggested by the US government. The then uncommon CDMA system became an intangible shelter for Korea's mobile communications industry while turning it into a closed system. As they are now entering the 3G era, the Korean government once again has aggressively pushed a self-developed technology, WiBro, extending their fixed broadband network industry and services into the realm of wireless broadband and vying for a say in the formulation of 4G standards. The Korean government went on to propose the M1 Project in 2006 with the hope of becoming the leader in the global wireless broadband industry by 2010. This report analyzes Korea's wireless broadband policies, and examines current and future industry developments.
When the Asian financial crisis hit Korea in 1997, the Korean government re-examined its domestic industrial structure and adjusted the national objectives for development. The telecommunications industry was designated as the core growth engine for Korea's ICT industry. The IT839 Strategy, for example, is one such project for developing future core industries, which manifests the government's strong intention to tap into the next-generation wireless broadband industry.
The Korean government has invested every possible resource in establishing an IT society. By means of a series of industry policies, the Korean government sought to construct the infrastructures for wireless broadband services. Furthermore, they integrated the resources of industries, government, academic institutions, and research institutions for developing next-generation wireless broadband technologies, so that they could free themselves from the limitations posed by a lack of patents. As Korea is developing WiBro technologies, the government instituted a clear division of labor between the public and private sectors, supervising and pushing forward the R&D progress according to a specified timetable. The Korean government has also aggressively held demonstrations overseas, promoting the export of WiBro services and equipment.
Korea's wireless broadband policies in recent years have been centered around WiBro and HSDPA. Both are considered able to overcome the low speed and high expenses of CDMA2000 1xEV-DO and WCDMA as well as the insufficient coverage and roaming difficulties of WLAN. After years of efforts, WiBro and HSDPA services finally entered the commercial phase starting from June 2006.
Both WiBro and HSDPA technologies are estimated to advance All-IP wireless broadband networking, which will reconfigure Korea's digital services and service models. What is more, WiBro and HSDPA services are based on OFDM, MIMO, and 802.16x technologies which are thought to be the bases of future 4G telecommunications. Therefore, by pioneering the deployment of WiBro and HSDPA networks and services, the Korean government hopes to play an influential role in the institution of 4G technologies.
Appendix
Glossary of Terms
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AMPS |
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Advanced Mobile Phone Service |
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BcN |
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Broadband Convergence Network |
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CDMA |
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Code Division Multiple Access |
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cdmaOne |
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CDMA Technology IS-95 |
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CDMA2000 1X |
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Code Division Multiple Access 2000 1X |
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CDMA2000 1X EV-DO |
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Code Division Multiple Access 2000 1X Evolution Data Only |
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CDMA2000 1X EV-DV |
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Code Division Multiple Access 2000 1X Evolution Data and Voice |
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DMB |
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Digital Multimedia Broadcasting |
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DTV |
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Digital Television |
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DVB-H |
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Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld |
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EDGE |
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Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution |
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EEMA |
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Extensible Multimodal Annotation Markup Language |
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FMC |
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Fixed-Mobile Convergence |
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FTZ |
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Free Technology Zone |
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GDP |
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Gross Domestic Product |
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GPRS |
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General Packet Radio Service |
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GSM |
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Global System for Mobile Communications |
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HSDPA |
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High Speed Downlink Packet Access |
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IPv6 |
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Internet Protocol version 6 |
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LTE |
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Long Term Evolution |
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MIMO |
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Multiple Input and Multiple Output |
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MOD |
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Music on Demand |
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MSD |
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Mobile Special District |
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MVNO |
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Mobile Virtual Network Operator |
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OFDM |
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Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing |
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OFDMA |
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Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access |
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QoS |
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Quality of Service |
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PCMIA |
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Personal Computer Manufacturer Interface Adaptor |
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RFID |
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Radio Frequency Identification |
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SoC |
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System-on-a-chip |
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TDMA |
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Time Division Multiple Access |
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T-DMB |
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Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting |
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TD-SCDMA |
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Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access |
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TDX |
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Time Division Exchange |
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USN |
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Ubiquitous Sensor Network |
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VOD |
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Video on Demand |
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VoIP |
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Voice over IP |
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WCDMA |
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Wideband Code Division Multiple Access |
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WiBro |
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Wireless Broadband |
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WLAN |
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Wireless Local Area Network |
List of Companies
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BT (British Telecommunication) |
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EMP (Ericsson Mobile Platforms) |
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ETRI (Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute) |
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Hanaro Telecom |
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Hyundai |
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IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) |
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KT (Korea Telecom) |
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KTF (Korea Telecom Freetel) |
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LG |
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Maxon |
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Ministry of Information and
Communication |
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Qualcomm |
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Samsung |
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SARFT (The State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television) |
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中國國家廣播電影電視總局 |
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SK Telecom |
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TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile) |
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TTA (Telecommunication Technology Association) |
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TVA |
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