SHANGHAI -- If Huawei has good reference sites and excels in quality, it is up to mobile operators to decide whether to use the made-in-China telecommunications equipment, says Johnny Kim, strategic engagement director and head of North East Asia at the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA). “There are political implications about the issue, but if they have good reference sites and good quality, why not use them?” Kim said during an interview with The Korea Herald at the Mo

Technology June 29, 2018

SHANGHAI -- Top officials of China’s No. 1 network equipment manufacturer Huawei Technologies strongly dismissed concerns about the cybersecurity risks of its products, promising to support South Korea’s leadership in the fifth-generation telecommunications network industry. “South Korean mobile carriers are demanding much tougher requirements for security of their 5G networks, and we are trying hard to meet their requirements,” said Shawn Meng, CEO of Huawei Korea, at a press conference for Kor

Technology June 28, 2018

SHANGHAI -- LG Uplus Vice Chairman Kwon Young-soo said the company‘s 5G deployment plan is being carried out smoothly as planned, owing to Huawei. “Quality, performance and delivery of 5G equipment are meeting our expectations as Huawei is advancing ahead of other vendors,” Kwon said. LG Uplus Vice Chairman Kwon Young-soo (Yonhap)“Huawei has the fastest and the best function out there,” said Kwon, to a question whether the firm would continue to cooperate with the Chinese firm. Vice Chairman Kwo

Technology June 27, 2018

SHANGHAI -- Some 60,000 officials from the telecommunications industry across the globe flocked to Shanghai on Wednesday as the largest mobile conference in the region kicked off, playing a pivotal role in the industry’s advances into the fifth-generation network. At the seventh edition of the Mobile World Congress Shanghai, global telecom industry officials, analysts and media paid attention to how rapidly China is moving toward the new 5G network era, expressing awe at the increased number of

Technology June 27, 2018

SHANGHAI -- Samsung Electronics will equip its upcoming flagship smartphone in the second half of the year with an enhanced image sensor technology, dubbed “Isocell Plus,” for clearer and more accurate photos taken by its smartphones, according to a company official on Wednesday.“The new Isocell Plus will start to be mass produced for adoption by new smartphones slated for launch in the second half of the year,” said an official at Samsung Electronics’ System LSI Business at the company’s exhibi

Technology June 27, 2018

Over the past seven decades, what has prevented feuds among the owner family members of LG Group, South Korea’s fourth-biggest conglomerate, has been the outdated yet strict adherence to the tradition that only the chairman’s eldest son takes over the management.Considered “LG norm,” the same type of arrangement was long anticipated before the death of late Chairman Koo Bon-moo, the third generation of the founding family, on May 20.But whether the transition will be as smooth as in the precedin

Industry June 26, 2018

Mobile carrier KT said Friday that it had built an internet of things-based electric bicycle in partnership with bicycle maker Recon Hi-Tech. Dubbed “Air i,” the electric bicycle uses IoT technologies to reduce the risk of loss or theft. KT applied its IoT technologies and smart mobility platform to the bicycle in order to connect it to the company’s LTE-M network, allowing users to keep track of the bicycle’s real-time positions and remotely control operations. A model sits on Air i, an IoT-bas

Technology June 22, 2018

Professor Lee Se-hee of the University of Colorado delivers a presentation on solid-state batteries at a forum hosted by Samsung Electronics on Friday. (Samsung Electronics)Samsung Electronics focused on solid-state batteries as the next generation of lithium-ion batteries at an open forum on related technologies, it said Friday. The South Korean tech titan held the event to keep track of the latest progress in development of the new batteries and share industry cases. The forum held at Seoul Na

Technology June 22, 2018

South Korea’s leading battery maker Samsung SDI unveiled its newest high-voltage home energy storage system battery module at a tradeshow in Germany, vowing to accelerate its penetration into the growing home ESS market, the company said Thursday. The latest residential ESS battery module revealed at the Electrical Energy Storage Europe 2018 in Munich features doubled energy density from last year’s products through the use of newly applied cell and module design technologies.  A visitor takes a

Technology June 21, 2018

South Korea’s KT will provide its artificial intelligence solutions for Ambassador Hotel Group, helping the global hotel chain to provide AI-based services, the company said Thursday. The Korean mobile carrier and the hotel group signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on building hotels with AI services in the country, starting with Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun & Residences that is slated for opening in July. Under the memorandum, the two companies are planning to connect the h

Technology June 21, 2018

Affiliates of South Korea’s No. 1 automaker Hyundai Motor Group swept the top three positions in an initial quality study conducted by the US institute J.D. Power, outstripping German and Japanese rivals, the auto group said Thursday. , Genesis ranked highest in overall initial quality with a score of 68, followed by Kia in second place with 72 and Hyundai in third place with 74. The industry average was 93 this year. Initial quality is measured by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehi

Mobility June 21, 2018

South Korea’s leading automaker Hyundai Motor Group said Wednesday it has formed a strategic partnership with Germany’s Audi of Volkswagen Group, in a bid to boost an emerging market for fuel cell electric vehicles worldwide. The two announced a multiyear patent cross-licensing agreement, covering a broad range of FCEVs components and technologies, with an ultimate goal of developing FCEVs together, according to the announcement. The partnership between the first producer of hydrogen-powered veh

Technology June 20, 2018

SK Telecom’s board of directors decided to split money-losing subsidiary SK Planet into an e-commerce and a data tech firm as part of strategies to boost the online shopping business, it said Tuesday. The parent company also said it has helped finance 500 billion won ($448 million) for SK Planet’s e-commerce platform 11Street with a goal of developing the platform as the Korean version of Amazon. The mobile carrier attracted the investment from various investors including private equity H&Q Kore

Technology June 19, 2018

South Korea’s three mobile operators are speeding up their plans to commercialize fifth-generation network services after the completion of the auction for 5G frequency bands. According to the plans, the mobile carriers are preparing to select equipment vendors in the third quarter and start building 5G stations in the fourth quarter. “Some are expecting the vendor selection to be completed by early July,” said an industry official. “Now with the frequency auction being completed, each company w

Technology June 19, 2018

South Korean mobile carriers on Monday secured frequency spectrums for the upcoming fifth-generation network in an auction at a total of 3.6 trillion won ($3.26 billion), the Ministry of Science and ICT said. The auction ended on its second day, and the total winning price was higher than the government’s asking price of 3.3 trillion won.  An official at the Ministry of Science and ICT speaks at a press conference about the result of 5th-generation network auction at the Government Complex Gwach

Technology June 18, 2018