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WiBro is the term for Korea’s ‘‘wireless broadband’’ initiative that aims to offer wireless Internet access at data rates of 1 Mbps for consumers desiring medium-speed ‘‘nomadic’’ mobility (up to 100km/h). The Korean telecoms regulator plans to auction three licenses in the 2.3 GHz band in February 2005 for the deployment of the technology. Investment in network rollouts is expected to occur sometime in late 2005, with commercial availability slated for early 2006. As a matter of fact, in its Q3 financial update, KT declared that if it was awarded a license, the operator plans on spending US$900m on the technology over a five-year period (not including a license fee). This once again positions the Koreans to be among the first in the world to deploy a new wireless technology.
WiBro, as it currently stands, seems to fit in between Korea’s existing highly mobile CDMA 1xRTT & EVDO cellular networks and fixed Wi-Fi networks. Initially, the technology will be offered as a data-only service, with price points that should be considerably less than 2G or 3G mobile data offerings in the market ----- and moderately higher than fixed broadband prices. Eventually, however, voice will be offered on the WiBro networks, where pricing and operator strategy at this point still seems to be unclear.
In the end, it remains to be seen if WiBro will remain a niche technology that aims to bridge the divide between mobile and fixed, or whether it becomes truly disruptive and competes in both arenas.
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