Korea's Sole Home
Network-Specific Exhibition

Gov't promotes the industry as one of the next-generation growth engines

Spectators coming to the Smart Home Network Show 2006 have gotten a glimpse into what future homes will look like and how daily lives will be changed. A total of 120 home network companies and network convergence manufacturing firms and other exhibitors showed off their latest advanced technologies through 540 booths during the exhibition held from May 30 through June 3 at the KINTEX in Ilsan, north of Seoul.
Among the exhibitors were Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, SK Telecom, Korea Housing Corp., KEPCO, Samsung E&C, SK E&C and COMMAX.
Smart Home Network Show 2006, the second home network-specific exhibition, following the one held in 2005, was organized by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), Korea Electronics Association (KEA), Korea Home Network Industries Association (HNA), the Institute of Control, Automation and System Engineers (ICASE) and the Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX) with support from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Information and Communication and Ministry of Construction and Transportation and Gyeonggi Provincial Government as well as Gyeonggi Small and Medium Business Center, Korea Intelligent Home Industrial Forum, Korea Mobile Industry Association, Korea Association of Robotics, and Korea Venture Forum and National Computerization Agency.
The items on display in each category are broadband, digital imaging/video editing, electronic gaming, home data networking, mobile office, on-line commercial products and services, one-line/Internet, satellite systems and sensors in the home entertainment category; Alram reporting, computer hardware and software, home appliance, home theater, photographic equipment, video (TV) and wire communications in the digital information consumer category; embedded technologies, home health care products, human robot, and integrated home systems.
Mobile/vehicle electronics, management control, power management, security/access control, small office/home office and Wifi in the home security & home automation field; construction & environment in the intelligent home network sector ; and publications, trade association and certification in other sectors.
On hand during an opening ceremony held at 11 a.m. on May 30 were Vice Minister of Information and Communication Yoo Young-hwan, Vice Minister of Construction and Transportation Kim Yong-duk and Hong Seok-woo, director general of life industry at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy.
SK Telecom displayed digital home products like home appliance control via mobile phones and intruder surveillance, home broadband convergence network (BcN) and home entertainment services. As a booth guide takes out an apple from a refrigerator, the mobile electronic appliance control system immediately shows whether the fruit is fresh or not via a cell phone.
The KEPCO Pavilion demonstrated the home network system via power line communication.
Spectators experienced "LG Home Net"services from the LG Electronics Pavilion. A remote-controlled health care Blood pressure and blood sugar tests were monitored on a real-time basis and exclusive doctors'remote-controlled health care service were demonstrated.
A Samsung E&C official in charge of Samsung Lemian said his company participated in the exhibition to show how ubiquitous services will be offered at home.
The global market survey agency, Gartner Group estimates that the world home network market will grow from $48.8 billion in 2005 to $97.8 billion in 2010 to register a an average growth rate of about 16 percent.
Korea has strong points like a well-built telecommunication infrastructure and the densely formation of housing complexes considered to be favorable for the promotion of the home network. The country can preoccupy the global market through technology innovations, Choi Tae-hyun, of Digital Electronics Industry Department at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy say. The size of the Korean home network market is forecast to surge from $6.2 billion in 2005 to $16.7 billion in 2010 with an average growth rate of 19 percent.
Recognizing the significance of the home network industry, in August 2003, the government designated the industry as one of the next-generation growth engines Korea will develop as driving forces that will drive the domestic economy in the years to come. The government will invest 200 billion won under a long-term development plan between 2004 and 2008. The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy will spend 93.8 billion won in 13 projects designed to develop gadgets, parts, connection technologies and others in the home security technology area, while the Ministry of Information and Communication will earmark 106.6 billion won in undertaking 12 projects related to home server technologies and telecommunication standards.
Figures released by the National Science and Technology Commission last August, showed that the home network industry is predicted to export $9 billion worth of exports and create 270,000 jobs during the 2012 when the industry is expected to be in full blossom. nw

(Above photo) Vice Minister of Information and Communication Yoo Young-hwan and Vice Minister of Construction and Transportation Kim Yong-duk attend the opening ceremony of Smart Home Network Show 2006. A guide explains the latest home network systems to VIPs.