Change may make no-Net cell phones cheaper

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Change may make no-Net cell phones cheaper

The government announced yesterday that it has decided to ease a regulation that obliges local mobile phone makers to install a local wireless Internet program in all their handsets, raising the possibility of cheaper handsets hitting the market.
Under current telecom regulations, all mobile phones sold here must have “WiFi,” a Korean Internet program.
The mandatory regulation was intended to enhance compatibility by using a single piece of software.
But the regulation has also spawned an outcry from consumer groups, who say it blocks the launch of cheaper handsets by obliging even mobile phones without Internet connectivity to carry the WiFi software.
The ministry’s move could help bring cheaper “non-WiFi” handsets onto the market. No. 2 mobile carrier KTF Co. is considering selling such phones to their customers.
“We welcome the ministry’s move to ease the regulation, allowing for the sale of non-WiFi phones,” KTF said in a press release. “The decision will help us provide cheaper handsets for customers who do not want Internet connectivity through their devices.”
Korea, a nation of 48 million, has 40 million cell phone users. Most of the handsets cost from 300,000 won ($318) to 500,000 won.
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