Bell Laboratories will open the doors to their new research institute located in Sangam-dong, Seoul on December 17. It will be known as Seoul Bell Laboratories. Bell Laboratories is currently one of the leading research and development organizations in the world. It also plans to launch two other branches in Asia, including one in China and the other in Indonesia.
One of the reasons Seoul was chosen is that the location is known for its prominent research institutes and laboratories. Bell Laboratories was intrigued by this and decided to launch a plan that will support Seoul Bell Laboratories with about US$20 million for the next 5 years.
Seoul's Bell Laboratories will consist of a research team, equipment, established research programs, broadband convergence, network services and technologies, and cutting edge technology. One of the institute's goals is to develop 4.7 GB DVD which transmits all of its data in 3 seconds or less, at around 10 Gbps.
At first, there will be 18 employed researchers while 12 professors from Korea University will actively take part. However, starting in 2010, Seoul Bell Laboratories plans to combine with Seoul University and Yonsei University to organize a consortium.
