Idea of Postponing Launch of IMT-2000 Gathers Momentum
(More evidence supporting a delay in 3G roll-out, this time from Korea. )
The idea of postponing the introduction of IMT-2000 services in Korea is gaining
momentum following the government¡¯s recent announcement that it would not
intervene in the selection of the technology standards for the next-generation
telecommunications service even if the nation¡¯s top three telecommunications
service providers, SK Telecom, Korea Telecom and LG, all opt for asynchronous
wideband CDMA technology. There have been worries that such an occurrence
could potentially leave a number of equipment manufacturers in the lurch, as they
favor sticking with the synchronous CDMA technology that is currently in use and for
which their business investments have already been geared.
The government could, however, postpone the launch of IMT-2000 until domestic
equipment makers such as Samsung Electronics are able to complete R&D and get
production lines going for asynchronous mobile phones.
Backing up the idea of postponement, Minister of Information and Communication
Ahn Byung-yub, told reporters early last week that the government would consider
holding off on the introduction of IMT-2000 services if the nation¡¯s equipment
makers were to recommend doing so.
According to one high ranking official at the ministry, unlike their larger counterparts,
many of the nation¡¯s small and medium sized telecommunications system equipment
manufacturers are behind adopting WCDMA technology, as the change to the
technology would open up a whole new market for mobile phone equipment.
While SK Telecom and Korea Telecom have been showing an amenable attitude
towards postponement, LG appears to be unhappy with the idea. Observers explain
that LG is currently the front-runner in the development of asynchronous technology
and that it undoubtedly fears that it could lose its current advantage over Samsung
Electronics in this area if a delay were to happen.
Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics has been sticking to its guns in insisting that
synchronous CDMA technology must be adopted as the standard for IMT-2000
services, claiming that the government must stand behind the small and medium sized
firms that have already been gearing their production to the technology.
(Cho Hyung-rae, hrcho@chosun.com)
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