- Opportunities to see the trial runs of next-generation mobile network “5G technology,” big data technologies, cloud computing services and IoT
Now, S. Korea has approximately 100 days to go before the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, often referred to as the ICT Olympics, kicks off in October in Busan, the second biggest city in the nation.
ICT ministers and vice ministers from the ITU’s193 member states will attend the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference,the top policy making body of the ITU, in order to discuss current issues in the global information communications sector and future ICT policy directions. On top of that, senior members of the ITU, including ITU Secretary-General,will be elected at the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (or the ITU PP-14). As the ITU PP-14 is expected to serve as a great opportunity for polishing up the host nation’s brand image as a global ICT powerhouse and for reinforcing the nation’s clout in the global information and communications sector, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) of S. Korea has been making all-out efforts to pull off the event.
According to Lee Sang-hak, Deputy Secretary General of the ITU PP-14 Preparatory Secretariat, the preparation for the event, only 100 days away,is largely four-fold: first is setting up conference halls. In order to build conference halls that measure up to the reputations of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, the ITU PP-14 Preparatory Secretariat has chosen “paperless meetings” as the concept of the conference halls. Fixed and wireless communications infrastructures, of course, take center stage in paperless meetings. Deputy Secretary General Lee looks to break with precedent by using Korean-made information and communications equipment, quite a departure from normal practice of using foreign-made equipment in large-scale conferences. “Domestic suppliers of information and communications equipment have high-quality products but lack customer references. Giving them the chance of supplying their products to the event will help Korean ICT companies secure global customer references, Deputy Secretary General Lee said.
In addition, the ITU PP-14 Preparatory Secretariat is continuously consulting with experts from industry and academia, with a view to adding Korean identities to the conference halls by embellishing them with aesthetically Korean touches. Bearing cost effectiveness in mind, the ITU PP-14 Preparatory Secretariat is working hard to make conference halls ooze Korean beauty that foreigner can sympathize with.
Second is the preparation for discussable agenda items. Host nation S. Korea will set forth an agenda item about grafting Internet of things(IoT) and ICT onto other industries. “Once S. Korea’s agenda item has been included in the conference’s final resolution, global standards will be drawn up based on our proposal, which will give us a head start on other nations,” Deputy Secretary General Lee said.
Third, five senior members of the organization, including ITU Secretary-General, will be elected at the ITU PP-14. Since first elected as a Council member in 1989, S. Korea has served on the ITU Council for six consecutive terms. However, no Korean has ever joined the ITU’s top leadership. Dr. Lee Jae-seop, a researcher at KAIST Institute for IT Convergence, is currently running for Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). Since the director of the ITU-T is responsible for supervising, coordinating the ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Sector’s overall work and has the final say in deciding standards for international information communications, the MSIP, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and other relevant ministries are joining forces to boost the electoral fortunes of candidate LeeJae-seop.
Lastly, Deputy Secretary General Lee mentioned that a variety of special events and exhibitions was in the works to make the ITU PP-14 an ICT festival for global citizens from around the world. For instance, the World IT Show (WIS), the largest ICT exhibition in S. Korea, will take place during the conference; and cultural concerts will be held at the BEXCO plaza. Besides, a Korean couple will actually tie the knot in a traditional Korean wedding ceremony, so foreign visitors will catch a glimpse of the nation’s colorful traditional wedding culture.
Also in the pipeline is an exhibition that will showcase the host nation’s advanced ICT technologies and products in front of scores of visitors, including government ministers from around the world. Trial runs of next-generation mobile network 5G technology, big data technologies, cloud services and IoT are also in the wings. Information protection solutions, one of S. Korea’s ICT strengths, will also be put on display. Nearly 440 participating Korean ICT companies, about 90% of which are small and medium-sized venture firms, will flaunt their new technologies and services at the exhibition, therefore raising their chance of making forays into overseas markets.
Host city Busan is going to great lengths to host this large-scale event, attended by nearly 3,000, in a safe manner. Feeling the need for beefing up security and safety measures around the conference venue and addressing traffic issues, Busan is running support groups separately in close collaboration with Busan metropolitan Police Agency and Busan Metropolican Fire Safety Headquarters. Furthermore, Busan has teamed up with relevant businesses to launch regional tourism programs, which will furnish foreigners with an opportunity to appreciate the beautiful landscape of Busan. Busan is also thrashing out ITU PP-14–themed tourist programs.
When it comes to ICT infrastructure, S. Korea is undeniably an ICT powerhouse. Yet, the ICT sector is divided into varied areas, including diplomacy and policy. Refusing to be content with the status quo, the nation now aims to take the lead in ICT-related diplomacy and policy making so as to become a bona fide ICT powerhouse. In addition, in order to assist informatization-poor nations in the developing world in cutting the period of trial and error, S. Korea will publish a success story book, which introduces S. Korea’s e-government systems, private-sector informatization, etc. Copies of the book will be sent out to the ITU’s 193 member states 2 to 3 weeks before the ITU PP-14. Deputy Secretary General Lee mentions that the overarching goal of the conference is to draw a picture of the entire international community moving forward hand in hand with S. Korea.
