BUSAN < invest Korea

According to Yonhap News,

(SEOUL=Yonhap News) South Korean firms were chosen for the first time to supply network equipment to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) conference, science ministry and event organizers said Monday, beating big-name rivals.

Samsung Electronics Co. will provide a wireless network while Ubiquoss Inc. will set up fixed-line services for the conference, they said. Busan, South Korea's largest port city located 453 kilometers southeast of Seoul, will host the 19th ITU Plenipotentiary Conference from Oct. 20-Nov. 7. This marks the first time that local firms are in charge of installing network equipment at a large-scale international event, they said.

Until now, two foreign firms -- Cisco Systems Inc. and Aruba Networks Inc. -- have virtually dominated ITU's network provision. Industry watchers say the switch to South Korean firms may induce more breakaways from established suppliers.

"Meetings where more than 2,000 people are linked by fixed-line and wireless devices call for state-of-the-art technologies," an industry insider said. "(The event) will become an opportunity for South Korea to show off its competency in the network equipment industry."

Sources said ITU officials at first were skeptical about choosing suppliers new to global conferences but made their final decision after four rounds of tests.

The ITU conference in Busan, also referred to as PP-14, will be attended by some 3,000 government delegates from 193 countries, along with some 150 ministers and minister-level officials.

The ITU is an information and communications arm of the U.N. that sets technological standards, allocates radio frequencies and satellite orbits, and works to improve the quality of communication services.

The conference, held every four years, decides on the strategic direction of the organization and elects new leaders. This is the first time that South Korea will host an ITU conference and the second time for Asia, after Japan hosted the event in 1994.

colin@yna.co.kr

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