SOUTH KOREA KEEN TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE ON MOBILE TV AND BROADBAND WITH ASEAN

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- South Korea is keen to share knowledge and
extend its cooperation on new technologies in information communication and
technology (ICT), such as mobile tv (terrestrial DMB (T-DMB) services), and
wireless broadband with Malaysia and the rest in the Asean region.

Korea Communication Commission director-general Hwanjung Yang said it was
ready to help Asean countries to enrich its ICT development in the region
by sharing its knowledge through training programmes and researches.

"Korea wishes to extend cooperation on sharing the new technology and
services such as mobile tv (T-DMB) and wireless broadboand.

"In order to support successful mobile tv service in the Asean region,
Korea plans to provide the T-DMB gadgets and devices for trial service, provide
training programme and support transition from trial to commercial service," he
said after the 11th Telecommunications and Information Technology
Senior Officials Meeting (Telsom) here today.

South Korea is one of the Asean dialogue partners beside China, Japan and
India.

Mobile TV is one of the features provided by many 3G phones. In 2005, South
Korea became the first country in the world to have mobile TV when it started
satellite DMB (S-DMB) and terrestrial DMB (T-DMB) services on May 1 and Dec 1,
respectively.

Today, South Korea and Japan are at the forefront of this developing sector.

Internet TV is also one of the Entry Point Projects (EPP) under the
National Key Economic Area (NKEA) of communications content and infrastructure
announced by the prime minister on Tuesday.

A hospitality IPTV project to distribute Malaysian content to local and
international hotels was announced with a RM30 million (US$9.67 million)
investment to produce a gross national income of RM90 million (US$29.03
million).

According to Yang, South Korea had proposed four programmes during Telsom,
related to ICT infrastructure development and expansion of technology services
and capacity building, in which the accord is in line with the Asean ICT
Masterplan (AICTM) 2015.

However, he declined to name them, pending approval by Asean
telecommunications ministers who will meet on Thursday, in conjunction with the
10th Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting (Telmin).

The AICTM, which is high on Telmin's agenda and expected to be launched on
Friday by Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais
Yatim, is a strategic document to bring the Asean ICT to a higher level and
reinforce the role of ICT for Asean integration.
-- BERNAMA