SK Telecom, KT, Hanaro chosen to run WiBro service

SK Telecom, KT and Hanaro Telecom all received licenses from the Information Ministry yesterday to provide wireless broadband services on mobile platforms. The companies hope to begin this service, which is dubbed “WiBro,” sometime in the first half of next year. The three operators were actually the only bidders for the licenses, although the ministry said that was because it had dismissed candidates that had low qualifications. KT, which had received the highest marks from the judges, boasted that its first-place selection was indisputable. “We have already completed two successful demonstrations of WiBro technology and so are one step ahead of the others,” a KT official said. WiBro was developed jointly by the government, mobile service providers and cellphone makers. The technology enables data to be transmitted more quickly on mobile devices such as cellular phones and laptop computers. The current wireless Internet standard, Wi-Fi, only allows a connection within several hundred meters of an access point, while WiBro has a radius of several kilometers. The service providers estimate that monthly subscription costs will be in the 30,000-won ($29) range. by Wohn Dong-hee