Korea Yet To Warm To 3G Video Calling
Korea Yet To Warm To 3G Video Calling
  • archivist
  • 승인 2007.07.12 18:08
  • 댓글 0
이 기사를 공유합니다

Most people in their thirties can cast back their minds to a time when video calling was all the rage. Back in the 80s, it seemed that every science fiction blockbuster of the time featured a video phone call of some sort. There was a great expectation that as soon as we hit the year 2000, we would all wake up next to complex gadgets that would finally let us see exactly who we were speaking to.

Now it is 2007 and that technology has finally arrived in Korea, though some might argue it is long overdue. Koreans are usually rabidly hungry for latest hi-tech gadgetry; they feel like they must have whatever is new. Yet even they are still to take to the shops en masse to snap up the flash new Third Generation (3G) mobile phones.

The marketing teams at the countries' two major 3G providers, Show and SK Telecom's 3G Plus might well ask why. Walk down the high street of Gangnam in Seoul and you will be bombarded by so-called event-style marketing as people dressed up in suits and motorcycle crash helmets or as cartoon characters jump out at passers-by in the attempt to convince the average Korean that life simply cannot go on another day without 3G video calling technology. 3G refers generally to mobile technology faster in speed than standard operating systems. And providing speeds of between 144 kbps and 2Mbps, 3G phones can use multimedia features and access the Internet, although the new and improved 3G mobiles that hit the Korean market earlier this year have used 3G's video calling function as their unique selling point.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a group that works with mobile standards industries from around the World, requires 3G networks run to a much higher speed than traditional 2G systems, and that they have improved system capacity.

Korea was one of the first countries to develop and explore the benefits of 3G, with SK Telecom releasing a CDMA version of 3G as early as 2000, and the Japanese launching mainstream 3G functions in 2001.

It seemed like the East Asians were leagues ahead when it came to 3G, but since then, Europe has caught up quickly,with video phones available in the West as of two years ago. In Korea, though, companies have been laboring over the release of a newer version, which incorporates video calling. KT's Show network and SK's 3G Plus released their phones only recently, amid much aggressive marketing and promotion.

Ben Lester, 31, a film editor in London, says Europeans have had 3G video call technology for some time, but are not sure how to make the best use of it. "I think for the average mobile user, it's entirely redundant," says Lester. "I have had two 3G video phones so far. I was given them as part of one-year mobile phone contracts, but I haven't made a single video call or sent a video message. It's far too expensive. I don't think I can see the point of it, actually."

Disabled users who cannot operate fiddly buttons and businesses that need video conferencing stand to benefit from 3G video. But, for the majority of mobile users, just why they need to make video calls is not clear.

Kim Jin-ah is an Assistant Researcher at U2 Systems, a company which provides consulting, tests and design services for mobile producers. She sees drawbacks with 3G video call functions.

"Normal people think video calling isn't useful. They see it as a novelty or a specialized need. It is very expensive and is a necessity of daily life," she says. It seems even the companies eager to promote the benefits of 3G video functions will admit that the idea of video calls is an acquired taste. A spokeswoman for Show said: "We think most users are going to use traditional audio calls than video calling even if they have 3G phones.

People who are not fond of the idea of video calling can choose to use the other functions of video on handsets. It is not obligatory to use video calling with 3G phones." There are also technological problems, states U2 Systems' Kim. "3G video calls tend to function badly in tunnels and on especially on the subway, where a lot of busy Seoulites and Busanites are typically very active with their mobiles," She says.

And according to Kim, video call virgins might struggle to control the functions of 3G. "The operating method needs to be taken back to the drawing board, it is difficult to use for most beginners to 3G video calling."

Lee Kyung-hee is a Software Engineer at Pantech&Curitel, Korean mobile phone producers. She believes that although 3G technology will open up new doors for mobile users, it has its drawbacks. She says: "Personally I like 3G a lot, but it has the potential to break a privacy barrier.

Customers are going to be drawn to 3G, but the video calling service might not catch on at all." U2 Systems' Kim Jin-ah agrees. "I don't think I am alone in saying that I actually enjoy some elements of privacy. If I've just stepped out of the shower, the last thing I want to do is answer a video call. If it's just a voice call, there are no such problems," she says.

Some insiders believe that video calling has taken such a long time to arrive in Korea because the powers that be have been slow to act. While 3G video call functions have been available as standard in Europe for around two years now, it only arrived in Korea a couple of months ago.

Yim Jang-bin is a Researcher, also at U2 Systems. He lays the blame at the feet of the Korean authorities. "Because the government leads the IT industry in Korea, the fact that they have dragged their heels over 3G has caused a massive delay in the technology's arrival.

Compare our situation with Japan's, where 3G and video calling have been available for much longer. Geographically, we are neighbors.

There is no reason why we have stalled other than the fact that the government has dithered on this."

Not all experts are united in their opinions, however. Lee Kyung-hee of Pantech&Curitel says the delay in the arrival of 3G was inevitable, while producers looked to perfect 3G for the Korean market. "It might have been late coming to Korea, but now we finally have mobile phones on the market with the International Roaming function.

That is something that was lacking in the Korean mobile industry. It has thepotential to make us a major player when it comes to mobile phone export sales."

By focusing on this major deficiency, the people working on 3G have been trying to move away from the problems that Korea traditionally experiences with mobile phones. Koreans using CDMA, an operating system other than the GSM systems used by most of the rest of the World, means that Korean phones cannot be used abroad.

But 3G phones can use high-speed WCDMA, approved by the ITU as one of the five approved standards of 3G. WCDMA is something that is also compatible with GSM phones. Lee believes that this represents the opening of a new international gateway. "3G can use WCDMA, which can operate at speeds of up to 2Mbps. We are looking at a situation where people can travel from abroad and use their mobiles here and where Koreans can also phone home from overseas."

Show claim that they provide International Roaming services to Korean mobile telephone numbers in 116 countries, including Europe and Japan, and that this service is set to improve. A spokeswoman for the group claimed: "We are in the process of gradually expanding our service area."

The advantages of 3G as a whole are diverse, though. In Japan, and in Europe, it has been a major moneymaker where customers have been keen on using music downloading functions.

Electronics.ca Publications says over 50% of Japanese mobile users have 3Genabled handsets. And Billboard.biz reports Japanese mobile customers downloaded US$398.2 million worth of music in 2006, an annual increase of 46%.

U2's Yim is very positive about the developments. "There are a lot of things for customers to be positive about when it comes to 3G. Already, people are treating their mobile phones more and more like their PCs. Because of the increase in speed future developments will offer, by the time 4G arrives, we might find that phones will actually replace PCs altogether."

With higher speeds available to users, downloading information to phones is now a practical possibility. Show said the speed of its data transfer was up to fifteen times faster than traditional CDMA. There now is every chance the sales booms in mobile music and ringtones that Japanese and European users have been experiencing for some time might finally reach these shores.

User-Created Content (UCC) is a buzzword in the Korea of 2007, and the good news for 3G manufactures is that the new technology may allow users to access content to the Internet content.

Pantech&Curitel's Lee agrees. She says: "UCC is gaining enormous popularity in this country. I believe 3G has the speed to allow users to send UCC text using a mobile phone."

However, multiple though the benefits of 3G as a whole may be, video calls are the major selling point for the likes of Show and 3G Plus -- and neither customers nor experts seem to be getting excited about video calls.

Jung Min-hwi, 25, a student in Seoul, says she has recently bought a new video call-enabled phone, but has not explored the new functions. "I bought the phone because of the design, but I haven't thought about making video calls at all.

I don't know how for one, and the whole thing seems a bit gimmicky to me." And Kim Jin-ah of U2 pulls no punches in her appraisal of the future of 3G video calling. "Video functions are a flash in the pan. There is no way this can ever evolve beyond a minority interest.

Traditional calling and messaging will go on forever." There are strong arguments for saying the best place for mainstream video calling is 1980s sci-fi films. The arrival of WCDMA Korean 3G mobile technology is a tardy but much-needed step in the right direction, but it is a case of better late than never.

For all the best wishes and money 3G Plus and Show are throwing into their advertising campaigns, Korea might just end up being the latest in a long line of countries who have failed to become inspired by 3G video calling technology.

3G is doubtlessly the future of mobile technology, but the hype over video call functions seems to be very little to get excited about.


댓글삭제
삭제한 댓글은 다시 복구할 수 없습니다.
그래도 삭제하시겠습니까?
댓글 0
댓글쓰기
계정을 선택하시면 로그인·계정인증을 통해
댓글을 남기실 수 있습니다.

  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT US
  • SIGN UP MEMBERSHIP
  • RSS
  • 2-D 678, National Assembly-daero, 36-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Korea (Postal code: 07257)
  • URL: www.koreaittimes.com | Editorial Div: 82-2-578- 0434 / 82-10-2442-9446 | North America Dept: 070-7008-0005 | Email: info@koreaittimes.com
  • Publisher and Editor in Chief: Monica Younsoo Chung | Chief Editorial Writer: Hyoung Joong Kim | Editor: Yeon Jin Jung
  • Juvenile Protection Manager: Choul Woong Yeon
  • Masthead: Korea IT Times. Copyright(C) Korea IT Times, All rights reserved.
ND소프트