S. Korea to market Wibro technology in Latin America

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, March 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea aims to market its wireless broadband
(WiBro) technology in Latin America, where demand for high-speed Internet access
is expected to increase in the coming years, the government said Tuesday.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said the market is attractive because countries
in the region have made steady economic growth, but have relatively poor
information technology (IT) infrastructure. The terrain and sparse population in
some regions have made infrastructure-building commercially non-viable.
"Such conditions make the region ideal for Wibro and other mobile IT systems," an
official said.
South Korea enjoys considerable competitiveness in the mobile IT sector that
enables users to log onto the Internet even when they are in motion.
WiBro, an improved version of WiMax, is one of the major next-generation
communications standards and ensures high-speed Internet connectivity. South
Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. is one of the local companies that led its
development.
Related to efforts to expand into South America, a mission led by Vice Minister
Kim Young-hak and including executives from 50 private and state-run companies is
visiting Columbia, Peru and Brazil this week and early next week to highlight
advantages of Wibro, digital multimedia broadcasting and Internet protocol
television, said the ministry.
During the roadshow, officials and executives will meet their local counterparts
and exchange views on possible commercial tie-ups, said the ministry in charge of
the country's industrial policies and trade promotion.
Seoul, meanwhile, will use the country's Economic Development and Cooperation
Fund to establish an IT research center in Colombia that can help expand
bilateral cooperation in the field.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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