Korea's Lead in Mobile Cellular and DMB Phone Services

Now that the number of cellular phone subscribers is over 1.6 billion in the world and over 180 million in the United States, it is an appropriate time to consider Asia, the “new” wireless economy, with respect to mobile telephony. Several major cellular phone service providers chose Korea as a testing ground to assess the effects of third generation (3G) technology and deployment. Several Korean mobile carriers plan to roll-out the world’s first handset-based satellite digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) services via cellular phones. This letter presents a status report on cellular phone services and applications in Korea. It also describes nine major factors influencing Korea’s status as a leader in mobile cellular phone and services. An important influence is the younger generation of cellular phone users in Japan and Korea who associate the cellular phone trend with their social status.