South Korea has launched a project that will create an area in which nearly any type of wireless technology will work.
The Korea Times said the goal is to create a "free technology" zone that will allow tech developers to test out new products rather than sending them overseas.
"This is kind of a free technology zone that will play the role of test bed for Korean exporters," Hyung Tae-gun of the Ministry of Information and Communication told the Korea Times. "When the infrastructure is completed, our mobile gadget makers will not have to travel to foreign countries to test products based on formats that are not available here."
In particular, Korean firms will be able to access GSM (Global System for Mobile) technology, which is used widely in Europe but not in South Korea, where CDMA is the national wireless telephony standard. GSM phones, however, are a major component of the business of South Korean tech companies such as Samsung and LG Electronics.
The Korean government will sink about 46 million won ($48 million) through 2010 to establish the zone.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
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