South Korea will introduce commercial Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services within this year, the nation’s Information Minister Rho Jun Hyong has said, according to the ABU. IPTV is one of the South Korean government’s newly introduced growth engines. However, efforts have been hampered for the past few years as broadcasting and communications industries remain conflicted on how to regulate the new medium.
“Through negotiation with the Korean Broadcasting Commission, we plan to submit a bill to the National Assembly during the first half of the year, and step up efforts to launch the commercial service of IPTV later in the year,” the minister said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency. “(A further) delay in the introduction of IPTV could cause South Korea to lose its momentum in the market,” he added.
Currently, KT Corporation, the nation’s largest fixed-line operator, plans to launch the service this year. Hanarotelecom Incorporation, the second-largest, is now providing video-on-demand (VOD) Internet TV, a prototype version of IPTV. (ABU News)
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