Cover Story / WiBro With KT's commercial service launch in June, Korea aims to capture global WiBro market With WiBro (Wireless Broadband)'s commercial service to be offered for the first time in the world in June this year, the global diffusion of WiBro is likely to be accelerated further as WiBro, based on Mobile WiMAX and compliant with IEEE 802.16e, has become international standard as IEEE has finally approved 802.16e specification last December. WiBro's significance lies in the fact that it was developed domestically unlike CDMA technology which was introduced from other country. With this, Korea is now in a position to boost the country's profile once again in the IT field by being in the vanguard of the global WiBro market and reducing its burden of paying enormous royalties. Provided WiBro is activated successfully at home this year, its overseas inroads will be even more increased in terms of its scale, according to executive vice president Hong Won-Pyo of Mobile Internet Business Group of KT. The largest telecom operator has been the leading domestic standardization effort as well as technology development since 2002. High expectations on WiBro's technology development KT has confirmed customers' high expectations on advanced technology of WiBro and its new service through APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) demonstration in Busan last November that boosted its corporate image as a cutting-edge global IT firm. Dr. Hong explained that KT is providing trial service to around 3,000 users to prepare for commercial service until May in Shinchon universities cluster, Gangnam, Seocho, Songpa, Bundang district, and subway to link between Gangnam and Bundang as well as its coupling road. On the back of this, KT is scheduled to kick off commercial service for the first time in the world next June and to enlarge commercial service areas to other parts of Seoul as well as the metropolitan areas of major cities in consideration of market demand, he comments about the company's commercialization preparation. High-speed Internet at a reasonable price Keeping an eye on the fact that WiBro is a service which enables customers to use high-speed Internet at a reasonable price with a mobility of 100km~120 km per hour, he underscores that WiBro can satisfy customers' need for largecapacity wireless Internet service. As a personal broadband service, WiBro will become the Second Internet Revolution's foundation to pave the way for the wireless TPS era, based on full-scale ALL IP network, Hong noted. In regard to overseas inroads with WiBro collaboration companies, he predicts that WiBro's overseas inroads will garner more resilience on condition that WiBro equipment gets the first mobile WiMAX certification. On the basis of such success model at home, KT is considering collaboration models to advance abroad in concert with collaboration companies by packaging system, service content, network design, and operation techniques. Initiative in leading WiBro world market Korea is expected to take an initiative in leading the global market of WiBro, Hong indicated confidently. In addition, WiBro is expected to contribute greatly to corporate productivity and to improve individual's quality of life. In regard to Mobile Internet's evolution like WiBro's second version, he predicted that WiBro technology which enables one to transmit with 100 mbps will be developed. He furthermore predicted that WiBro will be evolved into 4G communication service by incorporating 4G's major technology elements such as OFDM, TDD, ALL IP, MIMO technology.