The Korea Times

3 telcos hit with subscription ban

By Kim Yoo-chul, Cho Mu-hyunMajor mobile carriers _ SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus _ will be banned from signing up new customers for offering excessive and illegal subsidies. They were also fined a combined 11.89 billion won.The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) said in a statement Monday that the firms violated the local Telecommunications Law after an investigation into illegal subsidies.``The carriers provided excessive subsidies to new customers and we believe this is against the law,’’ the KCC said.The nation’s smallest LG Uplus will be banned for 24 days, while SK Telecom and KT face business suspension for 22 days and 20 days, respectively.The KCC fined SK Telecom 6.89 billion won; KT, 2.85 billion won; and LG Uplus, 2.15 billion won. This is the third time the country’s top telecom regulator has issued a business suspension order. The previous ones were made in 2002 and 2004. The ban will go into effect from Jan. 7In November 2002, SK Telecom received a 30-day ban with KT and LG Uplus being banned for 20 days each. In June 2004, SK Telecom got a 40-d

Dec 24, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

Samsung aims to sell 510 million phones

By Kim Yoo-chul, Cho Mu-hyunGUMI, North Gyeongsang Province - Samsung Electronics, one half of the global duopoly on smartphones, claims 2013 will be the year when it separates itself from bitter rival Apple.The Korean technology giant is the world’s largest maker of mobile phones and aims to ship a record 510 million handsets next year.That would be a 20 percent increase from the estimated 420 million devices this year, according to sources from the company and its suppliers. It shipped around 288 million handsets through the first nine months of the year and is expecting a global Christmas bump. ``Of the 510 million handsets it plans to sell, 390 million are slated as smartphones and 120 million, feature and budget phones,’’ according to an executive from one of Samsung’s key suppliers. Aside of its Galaxy smartphones and tablets, which have emerged as the main competitors to Apple’s iPhones and iPads, Samsung is planning to release a lineup of devices powered by Microsoft’s Windows 8 mobile operating system. It will also push products that suppo

Dec 23, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

Future of TVs at a crossroads

A model poses with new LG Electronics TVs that run on Google’s Android software, Sunday. LG said it will release the “Google TV” in the United States with 42-, 47-, 50-, 55- and 60-inch screens from next year as part of its strategy to respond to the rising demand for Web-connected devices.                                                                                              / Courtesy of LG ElectronicsBy Kim Yoo-chulMajor television makers, including Korea’s Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, are pondering whether they should rethink their future strategies as their Herculean efforts for Web-enabled televisions to go mainstream have so far produced underwhelming results.While it’s not a setback likely to threaten Samsung and LG’s leadership in the global television market in 2013, or even in the

Dec 23, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

Patent bullying hurts innovation

By Kim Yoo-chulGlobal patent pool companies should not use patents as weapons to attack their counterparts because such moves can hurt innovation, according to market experts.Patent bullying has emerged as the major headache for information technology industries. Simply put, a firm that is strong in terms of patent portfolio is inclined to abuse market power by asking third-parties to pay more royalties.``A concern with patent pools is that they might include some patents in the pool that are not necessary. Even worse, they might include expired patents,’’ said Michael A. Carrier, the chairman of the Executive Committee of the Antitrust and Economic Regulation section of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), via email, Monday. ``By themselves, the owner of these patents couldn’t force a licensee to take them since they’re expired. But in a pool, they could be combined with other needed patents. The result of this could be harm to consumers and innovation,’’ stressed Carrier, who is also a leading authority in patent and anti-trust in the

Dec 17, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

SK C&C, PayPal team up

By Kim Yoo-chulSK C&C, a system integrator affiliated with SK Group, has teamed up with the world’s largest online payment company PayPal to let home improvement shoppers pay with their PayPal accounts.The strategic alliance comes as the Korean system integration (SI) solution providers tried to set up a transaction system specific for smartphones and tablets. Under the alliance, the two are supposed to develop and sell mobile wallet applications including PayPal’s transaction technologies to more registered outlets in North America. Also, consumers can pay by using their PayPal accounts with just clicking on the downloaded mobile wallet application icon on smartphones, offline, SK C&C said in a statement, Sunday.SK spokesman Kim Young-dae said that mobile wallet technologies developed by the firm will additionally work with PayPal to bring large merchants and their services including mobile closed-loop cards, offers and loyalty programs into the PayPal’s mobile app.The Bundang, Gyeonggi Province-based company is expanding its mobile payments after signing s

Dec 16, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

LG wins lawsuit over patent troll

By Kim Yoo-chulLG Electronics CEOKoo Bon-joonLG Electronics, one of the world’s largest high-tech companies, scored a victory in a patent dispute worth billions of dollars against Wi-Lan, a Canada-based patent licensing firm.LG said Sunday that a U.S. appeal court had ruled in favor of the Korean consumer electronics giant last week, which it expects will boost its business in the crucial North American market.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed Wi-Lan’s suit against LG for infringing on its V-chip technology, which allows parents to block their children from TV content that they consider inappropriate.Understandably, LG Electronics welcomed the decision.``LG Electronics has so far been very aggressive to defend itself against patent infringement and to secure our patent values. The ruling from the U.S. court is no surprise as LG was highly confident it would win,’’ LG spokeswoman Na Joo-young said.The case dates back to early 2011 when Wi-Lan filed a complaint against LG Electronics for infringement of its V-Chip patent in the United S

Dec 16, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

KT chairman named as board member of GSMA

Lee Suk-chaeKT chairmanHa Sung-minSKT CEOBy Kim Yoo-chulKT CEO and Chairman Lee Suk-chae has been appointed as a board member of the GSM Association, KT said in a statement, Thursday.The appointment comes as the company is accelerating efforts to discover its next cash-generating sources away from its heavy dependence on the saturated telecom market. ``I am honored to be named as a member of the GSM Association. KT will actively respond to the changing global telecom market through enhanced communication channels with CEOs of global telecom carriers. I will directly handle it,’’ Lee was quoted as saying in a press release.The GSM Association consists of of mobile carriers and related firms devoted to supporting the standardizing, deployment and promotion of the GSM mobile telephone system. Spanning more than 220 countries, it unites some 800 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile environment including handsets.Its current membership includes KT, its main local rival SK Telecom, Verizon Wireless of the United States,

Dec 13, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

KT chairman named as board member of GSMA

Tech & Science

Carriers face biz suspension in Jan.

By Kim Yoo-chulThe nation’s three mobile carriers will be banned from signing new customers from January for offering illegal subsidies, according to Korea Communications Commission (KCC), Thursday.The regulator said that it has decided to slap the business suspension order on SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus as they have continued offering illegal subsidies despite previous warnings.The suspension period is expected to range from 20 to 90 days, effective from early January, KCC officials said. This is the third time that the regulator has issued a business suspension order, the previous ones coming in 2002 and 2004. ``The difference stems from the market position of each firm. We will collect opinions from the carriers by December 17. We are ready to report the results of our months-long investigation over illegal subsidies,’’ said a senior official from the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) by telephone.The agency will prevent the carriers from acquiring new customers for a certain period of time as the government believes that the local telecom market is distorte

Dec 13, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Tech & Science

'Multicultural workplace boosts creative input'

Michelle Simmons, senior director of marketing and operations for Microsoft (MS) Korea                                                                                                 /  Korea TimesBy Kim Yoo-chulFor Michelle Simmons, Korea is a special place. It is not only because the U.S.-born senior director of marketing and operations for Microsoft (MS) Korea has produced good results but she has also experienced the multicultural working environment it provides.She believes that MS Korea’s multicultural workforce is a key factor behind the firm’s sustainable growth. She said that she is a part of the company’s “melting pot” business strategy, under which people from different countries and cultural backgrounds are encouraged to share diverse know-how and experience in one of the world’s most-wired

Dec 13, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

'Multicultural workplace boosts creative input'

Tech & Science

Samsung sues LG over LCD patents

By Kim Yoo-chulSamsung Display has filed another lawsuit against its cross-town rival LG Display for infringing on its liquid crystal display (LCD) patents.The company said Wednesday that it filed the suit with the Seoul Central District Court to completely invalidate seven LG patents that allegedly copied Samsung-developed plane-to-line switching (PLS) technology without paying royalties.``Samsung Display filed the lawsuit with the court last week,’’ said a court spokesman by telephone. In a written complaint, Samsung said that without permission, LG modified the Samsung technology and named it ``AH-IPS’’ technology for use in LG’s small- and medium-sized LCD screens.``We patented the PLS technology in November 1997. But LG copied it. We are seeking a complete sales ban for consumer products manufactured by LG Display and LG Electronics that used those patents,’’ said Samsung.Samsung is seeking 2 billion won in damages from LG and a permanent injunction on the sale of LG Electronics’ strategic digital devices including the Optimus G an

Dec 12, 2012By Kim Yoo-chul

Kim Yoo-chul

Read more

3 telcos hit with subscription ban

Samsung aims to sell 510 million phones

Future of TVs at a crossroads

Patent bullying hurts innovation

SK C&C, PayPal team up

LG wins lawsuit over patent troll

KT chairman named as board member of GSMA

Carriers face biz suspension in Jan.

'Multicultural workplace boosts creative input'

Samsung sues LG over LCD patents

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