Mobile Korea

Lately gaming has received significant attention as an emerging multi billion dollar business. PricewaterhouseCoopers expects the video game industry in Asia/Pacific which is the largest market to grow by 10% annually from 11.7 billion USD in 2006 to 18.8 billion USD by 2011 excluding spending on hardware and possible revenues from in-game advertising. So although being a fun sector it offers promising business opportunities. From the 8^th until 11^th of November the third edition of GStar games exhibition took place in Ilsan a satellite city of Seoul. Since I live in Ilsan and the fair ground is just a five minutes walk away I from my place, I seized the opportunity and had a look at it last Friday.

Unfortunately still exhibitors as well as audience had a strong Korean bias, with no major Western game company being present on GStar. Because of cultural factors and differences in the way people play there is no global gaming community yet (besides a few examples like World of Warcraft). But according to key not speaker Gordon Walton from Bioware, especially the Western younger generation is attracted by Asian style games and content. Moreover he stated that factors like the high number of developers, massive competition among those and strong demand will make Asia the leading region for game development in the future.

Besides that I had a close look on mobile games. Although lagging behind 8-9 years in terms of graphics, Koreans do use their mobile for gaming. Especially when using public transportation it is a good way to spend the time. One feature which could make mobile gaming attractive for business is that also girls are using their mobile for playing. With 3G phones it will open new business opportunities in the fields of advertisement related and multiplayer mobile gaming. And Korean users are once again likely to be the leading early adopters in the world.

These days I recieve several e-mails asking me what my company is doing in detail. I try to answer these questions as far as I can but due my limited time and chracteristics of e-mail, It was not always full enough.

So I had revised our company's introduction material and made a simplified version. Thanks to numerous helpful web 2.o tools, this time www.slideshare.net/veyond , I can easily share this information.

Do visit our slideshare space and I will try to put more things in regulary in there.

Yesterday I have been writing about “Digital Korea“ and today I thought I might recommend you another book which I have read recently, “Diamond Dilemma” by Tariq Hussain. Whereas “Digital Korea” is focusing on the TMT sector “Diamond Dilemma” takes a more global perspective and discusses the challenges and opportunities for Korean society, economy and politics to make Korea ready for the 21st century and in order to keep up the tremendous development, which Korea has undergone in the last 30 years.

Tariq Husain has been working for a major consulting company serving clients in Korea since 1997 this enables him to give the reader a fresh outside in but also insightful perspective on Korea. (I am also glad that he and I have attended the same school)

I do not want to give a summary of this book because it can be found here, but I can recommend it to everybody who would like to get a better understanding of the Korean economy in general. For me as a Korean native, it has been a pleasant free time reading which gave me a fresh view on certain aspects of Korean economy.


Finding and shaping the Korean TMT diamond

One of the things which struck me is, that Hussain, as a non Korean, points out the opportunities in Korea in great detail and a strong rationale behind it. Also from the perspective of non Korean there are a lot of opportunities in Korea.

In my point of view the TMT(Telecom, Media, Technology) sector is a very good example for that, however these opportunities, just like diamonds, have to be found and grinded in order to exploit their full potential. The more you know about Korea the more opportunities you will discover.

This is in line with my experiences here at VEYOND PARTNERS. Currently we have a Polish intern who has been living in Germany. He has stayed in Seoul a year ago as an exchange student in Seoul and has been fascinated by the Korean TMT sector. His endeavors to get to know the Korean market in more detail have led him to us and he is currently working in our office. During our discussions he has underlined several times that he sees more and more opportunities in the Korean TMT as he gets to know it better.

In this context I consider VEYOND PARTNERS as the intermediating agent which facilitates interested persons and businesses to investigate and explore the Korean market and its opportunities. However in order to find the diamonds in the Korean TMT sector, i.e. exploit the existing business opportunities, you have to get heavily involved and keep in touch with it very closely.

Korean students need to be prepared for working in the global business

Another fact which is less charming for Korea and a field in which politics should intervene is that Korean high potentials are not competitive in the global environment. This is not because of missing professional knowledge but rather because the education system does not equip them with the necessary skills as well as global attitude and perspective to perform in a global setting. This shows e.g. in underdeveloped oral language abilities as English education is focused on writing instead of speaking, but also in the fact that Koreans are bad at selling themselves and their abilities.

So in my point of view already high school but especially university education should equip students with skills necessary to perform in a global business setting. This goes beyond oral English skills but should also aim at enhancing their team working skills, assertiveness and self confidence.

We at VEYOND PARTNERS follow this philosophy by offering internship for international as well as in Korean students in which they learn to work and interact with each other, giving both valuable experiences for their future career.

Eye on South Korea by CNN

One thing which struck us recently is the global attention the Korean TMT sector is beginning to get. Recently CNN has conducted a series called “Eye on South Korea” with interesting articles and video clips about topics like CyWorld, next generation mobile handsets and “a day in the (digital) life of a South Korean boy”. For more information about the series please visit:
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/10/12/eosk.video/index.html

Book: “Digital Korea”

During this year’s iMobicon I had a very interesting talk with Tomi Ahonen, just as his new book written together with Jim O’Reilly had been about to be published. It is called “Digital Korea” and provides the reader an overview about the level of sophistication of certain areas in the Korean TMT sector, such as on-line gaming, telematics, internet usage etc. It also features interesting case studies on enterprises which have succeeded in establishing a business in particular areas. The case studies feature e.g. CyWorld (social networking site), TU-Media (Korean S-DMB provider) and others.
This book has now been reviewed on CNN.com, it also includes an excerpt of interesting statistics out of the book (Click here), as well as an interview with Tomi Ahonen one of the authors (Click here). Due to the fast pace of the TMT sector these statistics are outdated already, however it is very good as a source for the beginning. It also proves that the Western world should keep a close look on the developments in Korea. Since what is reality here is likely to become reality in Europe and the U.S. in the near future. We at VEYOND PARTNERS feel responsible to give interested business people valuable and up to date insights in all relevant aspects of the Korean TMT sector and business in order to build a bridge between Korea and the Western world.

As I have mentioned not long ago, I am forced to constantly move from one place to another due to the nature of my current position. If you are in the same situation as I am or simply want to save internet service costs, I introduce to you “Windy 31”, a portable USB like wireless internet router.

A Korean based networks and systems company, Mavericks Systems says that this tiny USB like device acts as a wireless LAN card, wireless AP, and wireless router, all in one. It includes IEEE 802.11 b/g which allows speeds up to 54Mbps.

As you can see, three of the most needed functions for wireless internet users are all included within this tiny device. It also works under Windows XP as well as Windows Vista without installing extra CD programs.

It means you could use this device as a wireless LAN card by simply plugging this device into the computer’s USB port. Also if you plug this device into a PC that is connected to the internet, by acting as an AP, it allows nearby computers to access the internet.

Using its router function, it is recommended that 32 computers (up to 253 computers) to simultaneously access the wireless internet using this device. Worried about setting each IPs? No worries, for each IPs are set automatically due to its Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol that is embedded.

Limited to PCs only? It also allows WiFi handsets, PDA, Nintendo DS, PSP, and many others to access the wireless internet.

Worried about security? It complies with 64/128 bit Wired Equivalent Privacy and Wi-Fi Protected Access security standards and Media Access Control address filtering and firewall security function that it ensures users to feel safe when using it.

Think about how much money you can save with this little device. Think about how much time and effort you can save using this little device. I believe the kind of device such as this will make everyone’s lives easier.

What do you think the upgraded version of this product would turn out to be?

Finally next week, from August 22nd to 24th, one of the biggest annual mobile business conference sponsored by Informa telecoms & media and KIPA (Korea IT Industry Promoting Agency) is about to occur here in Seoul, Korea.

iMobicon offers the chance to understand why the Korean mobile market is so successful and to learn and take best practices from the nation's experience. The event is an excellent platform to network and make business partnerships which will enhance any Asian market business strategy or benchmarking projects.

The conference will feature agenda setting keynote sessions, and streams discussing the most exciting industry issues in the Korean and global marketplace. I strongly believe this will be an excellent opportunity to share experiences and gain glimpse of the future global mobile evolution for all those participating.

It’s truly an honor for me to be selected to chair one of the tracks of this meaningful conference. The topic of the track I am responsible for is “Embracing Mobile Entertainment Trends to Drive Revenue”. As other various speakers are expected to speak related with the topic, I will be the first to speak with the title, “Understanding the Evolution of User Generated Content, from Mobile perspective”. As you could probably predict from the title of my speech, the key focus of my speech will be to answer the question: “What can Korea’s mobile UGC experiences provide to the World?”

I sincerely hope to meet many of you interested in this field.

For more information, visit http://www.imobicon.co.kr/eng/.

Web 2.0 refers to a second generation of web-based communities which allows users to participate and share amongst themselves.

User Generated Contents (UGC), a part of Web 2.0 concept, is so popular these days. Just go to sites such as YouTube. You will see millions of videos uploaded and viewed by millions of people from around the world.

Common factors for most UGCs are that they are fun and interesting. That’s it. Yes you get a good laugh at it, but there’s nothing more to it. Or sometimes they contain scenes of violence that are not appropriate for the younger generation.

Therefore as a father, I’ve always been precautious about what my daughter is exposed to online. Especially now that my daughter is enjoying her break from school, her time spent online has increased.

However, I’m relieved to see that many teachers have started creating channels at UGC sites such as Pandora.tv to upload their own UGCs for the students, which the students were not able to learn in schools. This is a different concept from Mega-study. Mega-study is a professional online learning site which the students can go and learn online for pay.

Because these UGCs uploaded by the teachers are provided for free, these channels are becoming very popular among the student. There is one teacher in particular who goes by the name of “Young-Chun”, who uses masks used in movies to teach English. Many feel that this is very effective because it’s fun at the same time educational.

The most positive effect this teacher based UGCs brings I believe is that it allows love and openness between teachers and students to grow. Teachers aren’t making these UGCs to make profit. When the students realize that the teachers are taking their precious time to make these videos for THEM, they wouldn’t just blow it away.

I hope this trend of teacher based UGCs would spread to other nations; that it would bring positive learning effects for our next generation.

With the kind of job that I’m in, I am constantly forced to move from one place to another. For this reason, I have connected my laptop computer to our company’s server so that I can access the necessary data from anywhere I want. I thought this was very convenient and even though it’s not a new concept, I have encountered many people being amazed by it.

Today however, I want to tell you about an upgraded service provided by SK Telecom. Telecommunication industry is so saturated that it’s difficult for MNOs in Korea to acquire new consumers and it’s difficult to earn revenue from the voice services anymore. Therefore, SK Telecom is focusing on providing various data services and for this reason, their revenues coming from the data service is higher than any other MNOs in the world.

This upgraded service, which is a part of their data service, is almost the same concept as the above, but now I can now access the computer via my cell phone! Frankly speaking, constantly carrying around my laptop was pretty heavy at times, but I had no problem carrying around my cell phone. The name of the service is called “Mobile Mini-PC” and the way it works is this: First, I have to apply for this service via my cell phone. Once that’s done, I download and install a program from an online site which allows me to link my cell phone with the computer. After that’s done, voila! I can now access my server computer via my cell phone! It also allows up to 5 people to access the computer and also allows transfer of files from my computer to other computers.

This service in a sense is similar to those provided by ORB (which provides the user with instant access to photos, music, videos, live television, and other digital content on their home PC at anytime and from any internet-connected device, such as a mobile phone, PDA or laptop) or that of Sling Media (which enables TV broadcastings to be viewed by PC, PDA, Cell phones, etc through networking). However, “Mobile Mini-PC” is more business oriented, which differentiates itself from these two companies.

As this service is expected to start tomorrow, it only seems yesterday how amazed I was to be able to check my email via my cell phone. As a person involved in this telecommunication industry, I am excited but at the same time worried about the increased dynamics in mobile industry. I’m excited that it’s advancing rapidly but worried about having to constantly be updated in this area. Whether I want it or not, MNOs from all over the world will continue to provide improved services such as this and many changes affecting our daily lives will occur.

What’s your perspective on how this service industry would turn out to be?

T-DMB (Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) Phone meets the golden age. In second quarter, the sales of T-DMB Phone increased about 3.4% comparing to first quarter.

That is interesting results because total number of 3G service phone user keep increasing and KTF, one of MNO in Korea, focus their capability on 3G services such as Video call.
However, most of T-DMB phone is concentrated on 2G service!

KTF tries to advertise the diverse function of 3G service.
By contrast, SKT and LGT, MNO in Korea focusing their ability on 2G service, promote their 2G service with excellent design and T-DMB service. Prada Phone is a good example.


Some experts said there will be keen competition between 3G and 2G service soon. It is very hard to estimate how situation will develop because this competition has never happened before.

If you concentrate your attention on how Korean TMT market is changed, you can get some insights about how your home country will be changed.

This August, I am speaking at iMobicon 2007 on the landscape of 'Korean Social Networking and Mobile TV'. If you are not familiar with iMobicon, it is an international conference organized by Informa only focuing on Korean Mobile industry.
Most major mobile related companies will participate such as SK Telecom, KTF,Cyworld and many more.

You can find some of the most fascinating stories and dynamics of Korean mobile industry.Any one thinking of participating in iMobicon, I am happy to keep in touch in advance.

Story: Husband come back to Korea after 2 years and his wife and son come to airport to meet him. His wife tries to jump into husband but..



Video call is not a dream any more in Korea

Have you ever dreamed calling your girl friend with seeing her face?
If yes, Your dream has already came true in Korea!

Now Koreans can use video conversation service.

You can see where she is, what she does and whom she meets by just calling her.
As you can see in video clip, picture quality is quite good and it operates both inside and outside.

Video call users gradually increase and are being common for Koreans through 3.5G HSDPA network.


But, be careful not to show her your 'extra' girl with video call

Prada Phone has made its market debut in Korea about a month ago. I was also one of the people who were expecting it to come and recently I found an interesting article on Prada phone.

In Korea, it was provided initially by LG Telecom (No 3 Player in Korea with Market share of 17%. The leading player SK Telecom has 50% of M/S and KTF the 2nd Player around 33%) followed by SK Telecom. It is regarded by many industry analysts that LG Telecom is making the best use of its sister company, LG Electronics who developed Prada phone with Prada.

According to the market statistics released by LG Telecom, most of the Prada Phone was bought by the group who were in their 20s and 30s. 80% of the Prada Phone sold since its debut were in this group and 40s group followed who accounted 11%.

The ratio between the sexes was Male (60%) and Female (40%). It can be explained that most of the early adopter were male dominated group. But the report said that the Female customers were rising sharply these days.

Since its launch in May, 25,000 Prada phone has been sold for the period less than a month. LG Telecom and SK Telecom both said that they are now selling more than 1,000 units per day. LG Electronics expects that the total sales target of 200,000 this year looks like an easily achievable goal.

To keep its luxurious image, LG Electronics plays strict marketing strategies and hence can not see the advertisement in the main advertisement medium. Instead they are focusing heavily on ‘Celebrity Marketing’ and many of the Top celebrities were invited to use the Prada Phone including Sophie Marceau of France and Jiwoo Choi of Korea.

Have you ever regret after missing your favourite TV programme while you were stuck in the heavy traffic? Have you ever supposed it would be much better if you have your own TV and thus not fighting for the TV with your brother or sister?

If yes, here is good news. As long as you possess you can watch TV with mobile phone.

There are mainly two different kinds in Korea but this video demonstrates the streaming type. The newly rolled out HSDPA technology (called SHOW or 3G+) helps to upgrade the service quality significantly.

Cyworld, Korean based social networking service, is the one of the most successful ones in the world. In the past, PC and proper internet access were required to use Cyworld. However, today’s cutting edge mobile technology actually extends its reach to everyone’s pocket. In other words, we can ubiquitously access to Cyworld with our mobile phone. No more boundaries exist between wired and wireless services.

I uploaded a picture to my cyworld through my PC and checked it through my mobile phone.

This video clip is the moment at which Norwegian journalists sang a song to thank me for helping themselves during a study trip.

The Norwegian Journalist group has visited Korea for 5 days to learn and experience in the advanced TMT (Technology/media/telecom) sector. I organized the whole trip for them and also gave a brief lecture to make them understand easily at the beginning of the trip. Keeping the schedule, they were very interested in and satisfied with experiences and lessons especially in the developed Korean mobile skills and business system they got during the trip. It was an absolutely fantastic work and made me excited because this is one of the reasons why I set up my company, Veyond.

Actually, even though the group already knew Korea is one of the leading countries in the TMT sector and really wanted to visit, they had no connection in Korea to make a schedule. They looked for someone who can introduce the Korean TMT sector and fortunately found me at a webpage of the wireless world forum in which I was a guest speaker about Korean mobile.

While they discussed the trip with me by email, I made sure them they found a perfect partner in Korea and tried to give them valuable experiences as much as possible in the short period. The schedule was set up to visit media, telecom companies and some exhibition places. Also it provided some chances for Korean cultures such as a musical, attraction, and shopping mall. Thanks to both sides’ efforts, the trip was successful and there were a lot of interests more than I expected wherever they visited. Due to unforgettable memory, we still have a good relationship.

I strongly believe that there are lots of people who are interested in Korea TMT sector. If there is any opportunity later, I hope to help them again and give them something more than just valuable.

Cyworld, which is a Korean social network site, has been introduced on an American university text book published in this February as a world wide famous social online community service.

The name of the book is “Information Systems Today : Managing in the Digital World” published by the Prentice Hall. This book is used to deliver information of general digital economy systems and its new trends to US students majoring in Economics and Business Management.

On this book, Cyworld is evaluated as an online community service that has created a new economy system via social network same as MySpace in US.

GSM Association goes with KTF’s mobile payment service


A mobile payment service proposed by Korean operator KTF is uniting the world's leading service providers. The GSM Association announced at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on the 13th that it will launch a“Pay-Buy Mobile Initiative”as suggested by the Korean mobile operator. The GSM Association comprises about 888 member companies, including service providers, equipment and terminal manufacturers.

Once the agreement comes into force, consumers can purchase goods and services anywhere in the world using their mobile payment enabled handsets. The mobile payments will be made using a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) / Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) card in the phone and contactless Near Field Communications (NFC) technology. Fourteen mobile operators including KTF, Cingular Wireless, China Mobile, and NTT DoCoMo are participating in the initiative.

KTF will lead the initiative and is planning to conduct an end-to-end trial in Korea within this year. In addition, LG Electronics will provide handsets for the initial trial in Korea and Mastercard will also take part. Last year, the GSM Association suggested the global application of NFC, the technology used to link mobile devices to payment and contactless systems. Robert Conway, president of the GSM Association said: “Through the KTF led Pay-Buy Mobile Initiative, users will benefit from the ability to purchase items in a secure and convenient way from the comfort of their own mobile phones.”