Mobiles will be number one entertainment gadget in three years, predicts LG Electronics

LG Middle East and Africa recently held an informative seminar in Dubai on the booming handset industry, delivered by Seoul-based Dr. Kang Tea Ik, Chief Research Engineer for Mobile Communications, titled 'New Frontiers in the Communications Industry'.

More than 130 senior journalists and media marketing professionals who later enjoyed a fun programme of music, dance and comedy attended the evening presentation.

Dr. Kang Tea Ik said: "The next generation 3.5G LG mobile phones will open up a whole new world of possibilities, and will come equipped with multimedia broadcasting functions allowing users to watch terrestrial broadcasts and talk on the phone at the same time."

Dr. Kang predicts that data transfer speed will soon reach 10 Mbps and new handsets will provide converged technologies capable of broadcast functions (DMB), video-on-demand, video conferencing, and interactive broadcasting.

The expansion of mobile phone capability will also spur major content improvements, with developers soon introducing 3D story games and multiple-player games for both on and off-line mobile users.

When it comes to broadcasting, various DMB mobile phones are already available in mature markets like the US, Japan and Korea, Dr. Kang said. This technology will receive a further boost when LG Electronics' 3.5G (HSDPA) handset arrives in the United States, Europe and Japan in the first quarter of 2006.

With worldwide handset sales forecast to reach one billion a year by 2009, according to analysts Gartner, advanced technology phones are expected to occupy an increasingly lucrative part of the global mobile market.

LG in association with Nortel recently completed a successful laboratory test of its 3.5G phone in France, and LG is the world's first manufacturer to make a 3.5G handset with HSDPA capabilities.

In a long line of mobile firsts, LG manufactured the world's first PTV (Push-To-View) technology allowing multiple users to share live video in real time; the first DMB handset; the first synchronous/asynchronous combined 3G handset; and the slimmest CDMA mobile phone.

LG is investing US$1.95 billion in research and development this year and will strengthen its mobile handset research division in Korea with more than 5,000 researchers by 2006. A late entrant to the cell-phone market, LG increased its handset sales to 44 million last year, from 6.9 million in 2000.

In the first quarter of this year, LG overtook Siemens in handsets to grab the number four spot, after Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung. Its goal is to be among the top three in two years. By 2010, it wants half of its sales to come from handsets, up from 28 per cent in 2004.

Also attending the Dubai seminar from LG's GSM laboratory were Mr. Yoon Dong Jin, Senior Manager for Global Platform Planning; Mr. Choi Yong Seon, Manager Product Planning; Mr. Cho Si Hyung, Senior Research Engineer for Mobile Design; and Mr. K. I. Park from LG's Mobile Design Lab.

Mr. K.H Kim, President of LG Electronics Middle East and Africa Operations, headed the team from LG's regional headquarters. Mr. Kim presented mobile phone prizes to the winning journalists in a fun raffle draw.

Roula Safa of LBC TV was master of ceremonies, and the seminar was followed by dinner, an energetic performance by local dance troupe 'Latin Steps', and a hilarious performance from Dubai-based hypnotist Dave Crane.

Hamad Malik, Director, Marketing and Corporate Communications, LG Electronics Middle East and Africa, said: "The seminar delivered by our technical experts from Seoul was the perfect opportunity to organise a complete evening of entertainment for our friends in the media, to thank them for their ongoing support and valuable interest in LG Electronics."