This month marks exactly 30 years since South Korea first introduced its mobile communication technology.
And with the country now at the forefront of efforts to commercialize the next giant leap forward -- lightning fast 5G technology -- we take a look back at how the mobile industry has been at the heart of South Korea's remarkable economic rise over the past three decades.
Shin Se-min with more.
This is Korea’s first mobile phone, known as the 'brick phone.'
It came out in 1988, exactly 30 years ago this month.
It’s huge and heavy and it also came with a hefty price tag,… the device alone was about 35-hundred U.S. dollars, and it also had a service installation fee of 530 dollars.
From that first-generation of mobile communication technology,… mobile service has evolved.
After the launch of the Code-division multiple access, or the second-generation of mobile phones,… the technology quickly gained momentum.
That was followed by WCDMA, which supported 3G mobile services, and then the commercialization of 4G LTE.
“What started out with clunky and overpriced handsets has now grown into an industry that has completely redefined the country’s economy,… and the world’s telecommunications sector.”
From just 784 mobile phone plans in 1988, the number of subscribers grew to reach 50-million in 2010,… surpassing the population of the country,… and earlier this year,… that figure was well over 64-million,… as this all-in-one hand gadget keeps branching out and gaining new features.
“We are looking to continue the role of the world’s pioneer of telecommunication technology. We’ll keep this momentum and start a new era of 5G technology that will not only connect mobile phones but also other things like homes and vehicles, and even help deal with disasters.”
The development of 5G,…is moving fast,… with industry leaders planning commercial launches early next year, with the goal that the industry will provide up to 2-percent of Korea’s annual GDP by 2025.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News.
