Date 2005-03-08
Microsoft, the U.S.-based software firm, will invest up to $30 million over the next three years in its mobile research and development (R&D) center in Korea.
The company yesterday opened its Mobile Innovation Lab at the headquarters of its Korean affiliate, Microsoft Korea, in southern Seoul to develop technology for wireless devices.
"We are convinced that together with the Korean government, we can develop advanced mobile technologies that will determine the shape of mobile telecommunications in the coming years," Microsoft senior vice president Pieter Knook said.
He added that Microsoft is committed to the role of boosting the industry in Korea by creating software programs for next-generation mobile devices.
Toward that end, the Korean lab will have about 30 researchers, with 10 having already joined the lab from the company’s head office in Seattle, the United States.
This is the first time that Microsoft has established a mobility research center outside the U.S.
"We will cooperate with Korean companies to develop top-of-the-line mobile software three to five years ahead of the market," said Yoo Jae-sung, acting general manager of Microsoft Korea.
Korea has served as the world’s test bed for many futuristic mobile applications, with more than 36 million of the nation’s total population of 48 million carrying at least one cell phone.
In addition, Korea’s cell phone vendors are expected to meet about 33 percent of global demand for handsets this year, headed by Samsung Electronics, the world’s third-largest mobile phone maker, and LG Electronics, the fourth-biggest player.
[The KoreaTimes]
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