Afghanistan Welcomes Korean IT Collaboration Nabil Malek-Asghar, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan I wish a happy New Year to all of the staffs of the Korea IT Times and its readers. Korea is one of the highly-developed countries in the field of IT industry and technology and one of the most influential countries in Afghanistan. Afghanistan and Korea are on the start line to collaborate in IT industry, as evidenced by the fact that an IT Centre has been built in Afghanistan with the help of Korean Government. I am looking forward to more active mutual collaboration in 2006 between Afghanistan and Korea and more investment of Korean companies, especially in the IT industry. I hope this year will be filled with joy and happiness to all readers of Korea IT Times and their families. Algeria Offers Korean IT Firms New Opportunities Rabah hadid,Ambassador of Algeria On the occasion of the celebration of Solal, I am pleased to express my best wishes to all members of the dedicated editorial team of The Korea IT Times and its readers all over the world. Algeria has undertaken ambitious plans to promote the widespread use of IT in all fields and to build a strong IT industries sector. Korea has been identified as a key potential partner to further develop and implement the programs required to achieve these objectives. The President of Algeria, Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika and the President of Korea, Mr. Roh Moo-hyun agreed in Seoul in December 2003 to pay special attention to IT collaboration between the two countries. The Algerian government has for a number of years supported the introduction of IT tools in all stages of the education system, and is committed to expanding the coverage of, and access to, e-governement. Recently, a program has been launched aiming at securing the provision of one computer to every family. These are just a few examples of the importance Algeria attaches to IT. I hope that Korean companies will endeavor to find out more about the sizable and diverse opportunities for trade and partnership in the IT sector. The Algerian Embassy in Seoul stands ready to help them and I look forward to meeting their representatives. Once again, happy new year to The Korea IT Times. And happy new year to the Korea people. Belarus Pursuing Korean IT Collaboration Andrei V. Sonin, Charge d'Affaires a.i., Embassy of the Republic of Belarus Dear Readers and Staff of the esteemed Korea IT Times magazine! I am privileged to address you on the eve of the Lunar New Year 2006. I would like to wish you health, prosperity and every success in the coming Year of the Dog. Belarus was one of the most technologically developed republics of the former USSR. The contribution of Belarusian specialists to all the achievements, be it space exploration or defense programs, was difficult to overestimate. Nowadays Belarus is dynamically developing in the high-tech sphere, which is testified to by its leading position among the CIS countries. We mapped out our way to the information society by approving a comprehensive national program 'Electronic Belarus' in year 2002. With her modest population of 9.75 million, Belarus hosts the largest and most established European IT outsourcing providers to the east of Germany. Over 75 % of all software development and related IT services in Belarus are now export-oriented, growing annually by 35-40%. Our country's strength is rooted in her mature technical infrastructure - Belarus used to manufacture over 50% of computers and computer components in the former USSR. We have not lost our high potential - this year it is planned to launch the first Belarusian space vehicle, a remote Earth sensing satellite 'BelKa'. Recognizing the utmost importance of the IT, NT and BT industries, H.E. Mr. Alexander LUKASHENKO, President of Belarus, signed the Decree 'On the High-Tech Park' on September 22, 2005. The Decree is aimed at boosting the competitive edge of the national high- tech sectors, developing state-of-the-art technologies and expanding their exports. Belarus and Korea are akin. It is widely recognized that the IT industry is rapidly becoming the main engine of South Korea's economic development, with its contribution to GDP standing at about 20% in 2005. Also, Korea's trade surplus can be credited to a large extent namely to the IT industry. Resulting from the IT839 strategy, WiBro and DMB were successfully developed for the first time in the world and have been by now adopted as international standards. The achievements are very impressive, and we look forward to cooperating with Korean partners to employ and further develop those cutting-edge technologies as well as to implement other promising projects. I am convinced that people throughout the world have great expectations to achieve a higher quality of life with sophisticated information technologies being developed and widely applied. Let us together contribute to meeting these expectations! It is my sincere hope that the Korea IT Times will continue to play a pivotal role in globally heralding a new era, an era of Ubiquitous Society, with Korea being in the forefront of digital revolution. Growing IT Synergy Between Korea and Britain Warwick Morris, British Ambassador I am delighted to have this opportunity to address the readers of The Korea IT Times, not least because collaboration between the UK and Korea in various IT fields develops and strengthens each year. A growing number of British and Korean companies are already working together for example, to provide the very best in mobile communications. British companies like Frontier Silicon and Cambridge Silicon Radio are supplying world-leading technology in DMB and Bluetooth to their Korean partners. The UK and Korea recently agreed to work together on ground-breaking joint DMB trials in the UK starting in April this year - news announced by HRH The Duke of York on a visit to Seoul last November. Just as British companies are keen to utilise the benefits of collaboration with Korean partners here in Korea, so Korean companies are also actively taking advantage of the UK's welcoming investment environment to strengthen their competitive advantage. The European Headquarters of Samsung Electronics, NC Soft and Com2Us are all in the UK and a growing number of Korean companies are benefiting from UK innovation expertise in technology, development and product design. Such links and partnerships benefit both Korea and the UK, in what is a very competitive marketplace, and are indications of the maturity and depth of the close relationship between our countries. I'm sure that the Year of the Dog will bring more opportunities for mutual success. I wish a very Happy New Year to all who work at the Korea IT Times, and to its readers. Offering Top IT Location Tomas Smetanka, Ambassador of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic is an attractive location for ICT activities and a number of major companies have expanded their IT operations there in the past few years. In recent surveys, the country ranked as number four in the world for offshoring services and number one in Central and Eastern Europe for e-readiness. Other qualities appreciated by ICT companies are a good supply of qualified and highly-motivated workforce with good academic background, although the wage costs remain well under the European Union average. The increasing liberalization of the telecommunication market offers advantages to companies requiring sophisticated infrastructure. The country's multiple-provider environment means that infrastructure investment has significantly outpaced other regional players, producing clear benefits for customers through improved services and falling costs. Finally, real estate at an international technical standard is available and government-endorsed investment incentives for ICT areas are in place. I am confident Korean companies will recognize all the benefits of the Czech Republic when considering their future steps towards Europe. El Salvador & Korea Building on MOU Alfredo Francisco Ungo, Ambassador of the Republic of El Salvador I wish you and your family augury and harmony. One of the most impressive signs of progress I have seen in my 10 years of stay in Korea, is the amazing evolution of this country in the information and telecommunication technology. I think that the IT policy, its developments and applications achieved in Korea are worth of a serious benchmarking by other countries interested in this field. My country, El Salvador, and Korea have signed a MOU of cooperation in IT technology when President Roh Moohyun visited Central America last November and held the second summit with the Central American countries Presidents. This has created a promissory expectation about expanding exchanges and cooperation between El Salvador and Korea, which will carry mutual benefit. I wish the success to Korea IT Times in its future endeavors promoting Korean IT industry internationally and helping domestic as well as foreign companies to discover business opportunities in the field of information and telecommunication. IT Synergy Links Korea and Finland Kim Luotonen, Ambassador of Finland The Embassy of Finland would like to extend its New Year Greetings and best wishes for a prosperous Year of 2006 and the Year of the Dog for all the readers and staff of the Korea IT Times. The Finnish Government's national broadband strategy is to promote competition in and between all communications networks, to improve service and content provision in networks, to increase broadband demand and to continue and improve the special measures in fields with no adequate demand for commercial broadband supply. On 29 January 2004 the government adopted a resolution on the national broadband strategy that included a 50-point action plan and it complemented the original resolution with nine new action points. These included the following: the development of wireless broadband will be promoted; new content and services will be promoted; and the yet existing obstacles to competition will be removed. The aims of the original broadband strategy have been achieved. According to the strategy Finland should have 1,000,000 broadband subscriptions by the end of 2005. In addition, high-speed telecommunication services are available for 95.3% of the population. The third aim, which was to maintain Finland's position as one of the European leaders in the use and availability of telecommunications connections, has also been achieved. The policy principles of the broadband strategy have proven to be successful and should be maintained as such. In the future it is elementary to promote the development of the next generation networks. Development of next generation networks (NGN) has begun in Finland. In addition, the changeover to all-IP traffic is under way. Accelerating the development of various factors to facilitate the construction of next-generation networks remains an important priority and attention must also be given to the opportunities for developing inter-product communication. Regarding the nano technology the first annual seminar of the FinNano technology program is held on 18 May 2006. The annual seminar gives an overview of Finnish nanotechnology research and industrial perspectives with focus on vision and international cooperation Even though the Korean and Finnish companies such as Samsung and Nokia in mobile phones they have also close cooperation and common interests in areas such as operation platforms and international regulatory environment. Additionally, Samsung is one of Nokia's main microchip suppliers. Regarding the WiBro products the operating license granted to Digita Oy by the Government for the construction of a new digital mobile network within the frequency released from the NMT-450 service will enable the creation of a mobile broadband network covering the whole country. The purpose of the operating license is to cover sparsely populated areas falling outside the fixed broadband network, especially coastal districts, the archipelago, eastern Finland and Lapland. Korea is very advanced in terms of DMB products. In Finland, the licensing of the DMB products is in process. The applied technology will be according to DVB-H standards and it needs to support also IPDC standard terminal equipment. World Cup to Provide Korea with a Huge Demand Michael Geier Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Korea's IT-industry is riding the crest of innovation-and investment-led growth. 2006 will become even better, particularly for video related sectors, as FIFA Football World Cup in Germany will generate a huge additional demand. The World Cup can be followed for the first time in Germany with the help of terrestrial Digital Media Broadcasting (DMB) with strong support of Korean IT-companies. My country is proud to host the world's best football teams. We are looking forward to many exciting matches. Let us hope for a thrilling final that pits the Korean and German teams against each other. Then may the better team prevail. Indonesia Seeks to Bridge IT Gap With Korea's Help Jakob Tobing Ambassador of Indonesia The mutual and complimentary relations between Indonesia and Korea have been indeed strengthened through times in term of political, economic, socio-cultural and defense. In 2005 witnessed the increasing trend, and I am very much sure that it will to continue in 2006. It is expected that the bilateral ties will further enhance in a more vibrant and dynamic way and the involvement of the Korean Government as well as private sectors will also deepen in Indonesian economic in the year to come. Korea is well recognized for its rapid development in science and technology, and this has brought Korea as the 11th most developed economy in the world. In this connection, the bilateral cooperation in IT Industry would possibly be enhanced in fields such as e-government, as well as DMB or WiBro. The two countries within the past one-year have been making some mutual economic cooperation in several fields. Information Technology (IT) is one of the apparent cooperation. There has been agreement to develop CDMA system in Indonesia using Korean technology. Mirroring on the 2005 trend, it is expected that 2006 will see even more enhanced relations of both, as there are in facts some potential to be explored. The Korean side has the opportunity to directly introduce its technology to around 240 million population in bridging the IT gap. Korea-Italy IT Ties Strengthening Antonino Tata Science & Technology Attache, Embassy of Italy in Seoul The Italian government has addressed the S&T national policy in the 2003-2007 period through the assessment of new Guidelines (National Research Plans) representing an updated strategy in order to strengthen scientific and technological research and to improve the competitiveness of most advanced industry. IC Technologies represent one of the ten selected priorities and the Plans foresee three main strategic lines of action: 1. reinforcement of the scientific base of the Country, looking for excellence, merit, internationalisation, economic growth and making the most of human capital; 2. Strengthening the technological level of the Italian productive system to maintain competitiveness, focusing on ten strategic industrial research programmes involving also the participation of universities and research centres; 3. Support active participation in EU programmes and in international agreements. The total number of Italian Projects to past EU-FP5 Program in the specific field of 'User-friendly information society IST' was 1055 (321 of them with Italian coordination) and a similar figure is in the FP6 (2002-2005), as well as foreseen in the ongoing FP7. The IT Italian market, mainly focused on mobile communication, Wi-Fi, Wi-max, Broadband, shows in a mean growth of 2.4% (+4.9% cell phones) in a market of 41.86 billion Euros (final data 2004). No mobile cell phones are manufactured in Italy and Korean mobile communication equipment (Samsung, LG) are largely appreciated in a meaningful market of over 55 million cell phones. Internet connection and services are growing: 4.4 million of Broadband connection and about 25 million Internet connections in 2005. The scientific and technological government cooperation between Italy and Korea has a general frame in the 'Protocol of Cooperation Agreement' for the years 2004-2006 (www.ambseoul.esteri.it/ambasciata_seoul) and the 'Information and Communication Technology (ICT)', already included as first priority in the areas of bilateral cooperation, will be inserted also in the new Protocol (2007-2009) to be defined in the 2006. Among Italy-Korea R&D Cooperation some noteworthy Projects are: Design, realization and experimental characterization of lumped Raman amplifiers for WDM metro-core applications (SSSA-Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, University of Pisa / School of EECS, SNU Seoul National University)- Ultrafast photonic devices for the future optical communication networks beyond 160Gbits based on Optical Time Division Multiplexing (OTDM) (SSSA-Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna University of Pisa / Korea Institute of Science & Technology - KIST) - New Generation Fiber Optics and All-Fiber Devices (Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova / Dept Information & Communications, Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology) - Nanogranular magnetic films and devices for GHz frequency applications (Materials Dept. Nationa Electrotechnics Inst. Galileo Ferrarsi, Turin / Nano Device Research Center, KIST) Norway & Korea Focus on Nano- and Biotechnology Arild Braastad, Ambassador of Norway We have seen Korean ICT-industry surge on the global field, clearly illustrated by the rising popularity of large companies such as Samsung and LG. Earlier, investors viewed Japan as the testbed for ICT, now they rather do business in Korea. Korea and Norway have a long history of good relations and we have signed agreements within several fields. Norway's interests in Korea have traditionally been connected to the maritime and marine sector, but nowadays companies are exploring business opportunities also in the ICT-sector. Norway is statistically among the top countries in the world when it comes to access to, and the use of Internet and mobile phones. However, when it comes to developing hardware, we are behind many countries. We can see an increase in the exchange of knowledge and expertise within the ICTsector. Last year, a Norwegian company, in cooperation with a Korean company, launched a service, which makes television content available via the GPRS network. Together with Korea and England, Norway is also testing DMB as transferring technology. Furthermore, WiMax, the technology of wireless broadband was tested in Norway last year. Norway and Korea both focus on developing nano- and biotechnology. It is acknowledged that these industries will become increasingly important, and it is paramount for Norway not to lag behind when it comes to R&D within these fields. In addition Norway is aiming at developing industries which can supplement our oil and gas industry (renewable energy sources). The Norwegian policy of e-Norway 2009 hopes to achieve digital access for everyone, increase digital competence, strengthen digital services to the citizens, secure digital rights of the customer and provide information digitally in order to increase knowledge about the cultural heritage etc. The Korea IT Times is a valuable source of information about the recent IT-developments in Korea, for both foreigners and Koreans. With the hope of a prosperous and fruitful year for the Korean IT-industry and increased cooperation between Korea and Norway in this field, I wish you all the best for the year 2006. Sri Lanka Building on Multifaceted Links Gunayavedalage Wijayasiri Ambassador of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka I am indeed very pleased to send this message to Korea IT Times on the occasion of its publishing a special issue to mark the New Year. Relations between Korea and Sri Lanka have been excellent since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1977. Our two countries have a multifaceted relationship, which covers areas such as political, economic, trade, cultural etc. In recent years there has been collaboration between the two countries in Information and Communications sector as Korea is one of the leading countries in the ICT field today. In Sri Lanka we have launched an e-Lanka Project under which there is a government Re-engineering Program for government business purposes through the effective use of ICT thereby making government more citizen friendly and efficient. The Re-engineering Government program is also intended to empower the key leaders and decision makers in government and provide a government-wide intranet to facilitate transmission of information and data. We are indeed very pleased that the government of Korea has very generously pledged US $ 15 Million for the Re-engineering Government programme of Sri Lanka. In addition the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education with the help of the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development of the Republic of Korea has initiated a project to help develop ICT education programmes in schools in Sri Lanka. An Agreement for Exchange and Co-operation for Education Information Technology has already been signed between the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education and the Ministry of Education in Sri Lanka. Under this programme 100 computers have been sent to Sri Lanka for use in schools and a batch of ICT teachers have been trained in Korea. We hope that this programme will continue in future for the mutual benefit of the two countries. I wish the Korea IT Times every success in future. Slovak Republic Admires Korea's IT Successes Pavel Hrmo, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic In compliance with EU requirements the Slovak Republic (SR) has identified the following priorities in the area of information society: * To develop a national strategy for the information society relevant for the situation in the SR. * To implement application projects of the Information Society Action Plan. * To stimulate the business sector. * To establish trust in e-business. * To develop activities of the national co-ordination center. * To emphasize the role of science, research, education and professional training. * To rationalize the performance the state administration. Slovakia, which became a member of the EU on 1st of May 2004, must do a lot of work to bring these priorities into real life. So, the main aims of e-Government are to increase the efficiency and transparency of public administration, to increase the quality and accessibility of public administration for citizens as well as businesses. Achieving these aims will have a positive effect also on the economy's development of Slovakia. According to special research made in 2004 the main bearers of IT are still among small business companies with year turnover less than 25 mil. SKK (app. USD 870 000). Based on recent progress it is estimated that in 2006 every Slovak will spend USD 200 on IT products and services - three times more than in 1999. So far investments to IT influenced services sector mainly. The Research made by Academy of Science shows that other economic sectors, namely automobile industry will be a center of future attentions. This well growing industry (KIA new plant in Zilina included) will offer over 45 000 new working places in next four years. Existing Samsung Electronics factory in Galanta is another example of expected lucrative targets. Economic activities associated with the production and utilization of information and knowledge has become an engine of economic growth in Slovakia, increasingly transforming all the other dimensions of development. It is widely accepted that the knowledge-based economy has a very powerful technological driving force, a rapid growth of information and telecommunication technologies (ICT). Knowledge, based on information and supported by cultural and spiritual values, has become an independent force and the most decisive factor of social, economic, technological and cultural transformation. Korea world's foremost position in IT would serve as a good example for every country. May ICT Cooperation with Thailand Prosper! Vasin Teeravechyan, Ambassador of Thailand I would like, first and foremost, to wish the readers of the Korea IT Times a happy and prosperous 2006. The Republic and Korea and the Kingdom of Thailand formally began their ICT collaboration in August 2003 when Ministers of Information and Communication Technology of Korea and Thailand signed an arrangement and a joint statement in order to promote and strengthen ICT cooperation between the two countries. One year later, in August 2004, the two countries established a joint working group to put the above-mentioned arrangement and joint statement into action. The joint working group met, for the first time, in Thailand in December last year. Since then, the ICT collaboration between the two countries has prospered. One of the concrete examples is the Korea Telecom and the Telephone Organization of Thailand Public Company Limited have successfully provided broadband internet services in Phuket province. Additionally, the two Companies are planning to provide the same kind of services in other provinces in the southern and northeastern parts of Thailand. As for Thailand, other than the broadband internet services, the Thai government has also focused its ICT policies on ICT human resources development, software industry development, ICT infrastructure development and e-government management. I also hope that the ICT cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the Kingdom of Thailand will be prospering in the year 2006 and beyond. Tunisia Seeks to Bridge digital Divide Moncef Baait, Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia On the occasion of the New Year, it is my great pleasure to congratulate IT Times magazine and to convey my warm greetings to its management, staff and readers, wishing to all of them continued success and prosperity. I'd like also to express my appreciation and support to IT Times's endeavors, as a leading English magazine in ICT. As a new Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to Korea, I really appreciate the strong efforts devoted by Korea in the field of IT industry. Such achievements, while enhancing Korea image worldwide, confirm also its leading role in resolving the adverse effects rising from the 'IT revolution' and the importance of its contribution in bridging the digital divide. As you know, the issue of the digital divide was the main focus of the World Summit on Information Society, successfully hosted by Tunisia in November last year. More than 23.000 participants from 174 countries took part to this event, among governments, international organizations and agencies, NGO and private sector. Vice Minister of Information and Communication, Mr. Roh Jun Hyong, headed the Korean delegation to this Summit. According to most observers, WSIS was a great success, initiating harmonious solutions to bridge the digital divide and to solve the issue of internet governance. The Summit adopted two important documents; one being 'the Tunis commitment' and the second is called the 'Tunis agenda for the information society'. Some new IT products were also unveiled during the WSIS side events, such as the 100$ notebook computer which is expected to contribute in narrowing the digital gap. On the other hand, Korean vice Minister of Information and Communication seized his visit to Tunis to inaugurate the 'Information Access Center' in the Sciences City of Tunis. This new project confirms the willingness of both governments to further enhance their bilateral cooperation in IT field, especially following the holding, last December, of the eight Joint Committee in Seoul which stressed the importance of this field for the future of bilateral cooperation. Both Countries agreed also to set up a joint working group (composed of representatives from the Government and the private sector) to identify and follow up cooperation in this field. IT Collaboration Brings Closer Ties with Ukraine Charge d'Affaires Valerii Aleksandruk, Embassy of Ukraine Information technology is a large and dynamic business segment that continues to enjoy significant growth worldwide. Competition is often already intense amongst the established players. Additionally, there is a steady stream of new operators and service providers who build up their service capabilities with the latest technology (ATMs, Net Banking, PayPal, etc) hoping to create a major competitive advantage. In recent years, the Ukrainian information and technology industry has been undergoing rapid changes, reflecting a number of underlying developments. This trend has created new competitive threats as well as new opportunities. A prudent yet aggressive adoption of business enhancing technology is also needed to ensure current and future competitiveness: especially as modern technology creates the opportunity for much wider competition. Business Growth, Cost Efficiency and Evolution are therefore regarded as key drivers that can be addressed with technology. At the present time Korea-Ukraine cooperation in the field of information technology are expecting to be extended. Wireless technology can be disruptive as new channels as well as can add value to existing channels by enabling both low cost access and growth in reach. In combination with latest enterprise technologies it enables clients, ubiquitous secured access to rich information on the move, supports faster services by offering more effective and efficient interworking. Thus are seeking for growth a sample of developing a potential of Korean leading companies in DMB and WiBro products in Ukrainian domestic market. Over past years rating of achievements of Ukrainian scientists is growing in the field of nanotechnologies. The technologies enable constructing of objects capable of introducing drastic changes into production processes, improving radically properties of materials and increasing productivity of devices and equipment with molecular precision. New materials with fundamentally new properties and outstanding characteristics are developed by means of the nanotechnologies. Fine-grained materials the sintered barium titanate of relative density 99.9% and grain size of 0.3 mcm was obtained for the first time in the world practice in the institutes of the NAS of Ukraine by means of the nanotechnologies. Parameters like these enable high prospects for ceramics to miniaturize multilayer condensers. By forming specific graphite-like nanostructure, the possibility was proved of obtaining super hard carbon films, which are to be promising material to be applied in the friction units of recording and reading equipment. In this priority technology direction as biotechnology Ukraine has promising developments. Owing to the fundamental studies in biotechnology as well as development and implementation of the findings obtained the new medicines and biologically active substances were received. Given the complexity of the challenges and exceptional opportunity, information technology service providers, wireless equipment manufacturers, operators, component vendors and enabling technology suppliers need a clear assessment of the industry's future. Korea-Ukraine cooperation in the field of nano-technologies, biotechnologies, IT sector has a various prerequisites to expanding, profitable to business sectors of both countries by intensification of mutual S&T contacts and industrial application of all combined achievements.