January 8, 2007
South Korean Mobile Internet Platform Under Threat
The nation’s top mobile carriers _ SK Telecom and KTF _ are set to introduce handsets equipped with platforms other than the wireless Internet platform for interoperability (WIPI), a homegrown technology that lets people download music and games. The Korea Times reports.
"This will likely deal a blow to WIPI, which became the nation’s standard in early 2005 but is still struggling to take root.
SK Telecom, the foremost operator, could drop the platform when it introduces BlackBerrys, which use a foreign operating system.
KTF, the No. 2 player, is also poised to exclude WIPI in its next-generation cell phones.
Since April 1, 2005, all of the country’s cell phone manufacturers have had to use WIPI. The government required the inclusion of the open-source platform after an agreement between Seoul and Washington.
Cell phone vendors are allowed to equip their gadgets with other platforms, but they have to include WIPI. "
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2007/01/014623.htm