Lost? Carry your cell phone

A tourist is visiting Gyeongju, the capital city of the ancient Shilla Kingdom. It is his first time in Korea, but he does not need a guide. He has his mobile phone. Standing in the Bulguksa Temple, he takes out his phone and dials a location-based service. He gets information on the temple and its history in English on his phone display. The above example is not as far-fetched as it appears. Location-based services using cell phones are about two or three years away here. Such services take advantage of communications satellite technology. The United States is already well ahead and Europe, with its Galileo system, is pushing to develop its own navigation technology. NTT DoCoMo Corp., KDDI Corp. and other Japanese firms are also working on phone-based satellite locating systems. Korea is now starting to join in. Around 300 people, including businessmen, professors and researchers, held a conference on Jan. 28 at Seoul's Lotte Hotel to exchange ideas on how to effectively develop a competitive domestic location-based service industry. Experts expect the number of mobile phones using location-based services in Korea to reach 20 million by 2006. Dr. Lee Jong-hun of the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute said, "There are infinite ways of taking advantage of location-based service technology. Looking into the future, there is a need to support the industry on a national scale." Emergency rescues and rapid police support are only simple examples of the technology's possible use. Individual positioning capabilities might help control sales workers and other personnel working outside the office. Businesses could also take advantage of the technology by tracing a customer's location to provide a more personal service or select optimal locations for stores. Drivers could receive information on traffic congestion, while positioning data could assist traffic police in giving directions or responding to accidents. Fishing boats equipped with locating systems would have a smaller chance of getting lost or entering unauthorized waters, lowering the number of international fishing disputes. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission has passed a bill requiring wireless companies to provide location information on all 911 calls dialed with mobile phones. Location technology is expected to be mandatory for all mobile phones in the United States by 2005. The U.S. government was early to establish a basis for location-based services with its global positioning satellite system (GPS) for military use. Qualcomm developed a code division multiple access (CDMA) chip equipped with global positioning system functions and is receiving royalties from other companies. The European Space Agency is developing Galileo, Europe's own global navigation satellite system. The system, named after the 16th century Italian scientist, will consist of 30 navigation satellites launched into space at an altitude of 23,600 kilometers (14,750 miles) expected to start service from 2008. Italy's Omnitel SpA already provides tourist and traffic information services to its users, while Norwegian telecommunications group, Telenor AS, has opened services giving information on nearby facilities. Japan's NTT DoCoMo, applying its own technology, provides various types of information, including weather and traffic. In Korea, SK Telecom Corp. last year started location-based services using GPS systems, but the service relies almost completely on foreign companies for its key technology. Importing Qualcomm's gpsOne chip, SK pays Qualcomm around $10 per phone in royalties. The government has decided to help develop Korea's own location-based technology by 2004, investing 39 billion won ($32 million) over the next five years. Starting with the domestic market, the government plans to expand into the international market by 2005, eyeing the technology as the next key strategic export after CDMA. A location-based service industry conference was formed last month with communications firms, such as SK Telecom, and hardware producers, such Samsung Electronics Co., as its participants. The location-based service industry is expected to reach $2.5 billion in the United States, $4 billion in Europe, and $400 million in Korea by 2006. by Kim Dong-sub