This month marks exactly 30 years since South Korea first introduced its mobile communication technology.<br />And with the country now at the forefront of efforts to commercialize the next giant leap forward -- lightning fast 5G technology -- we take a look back at how the mobile industry has been at the heart of South Korea's remarkable economic rise over the past three decades.<br />Shin Se-min with more. <br /> This is Korea’s first mobile phone, known as the 'brick phone.'<br />It came out in 1988, exactly 30 years ago this month. <br />It’s huge and heavy and it also came with a hefty price tag,… the device alone was about 35-hundred U.S. dollars, and it also had a service installation fee of 530 dollars. <br /> From that first-generation of mobile communication technology,… mobile service has evolved. <br />After the launch of the Code-division multiple access, or the second-generation of mobile phones,… the technology quickly gained momentum. <br /> That was followed by WCDMA, which supported 3G mobile services, and then the commercialization of 4G LTE.<br /><br /> “What started out with clunky and overpriced handsets has now grown into an industry that has completely redefined the country’s economy,… and the world’s telecommunications sector.”<br /><br /> From just 784 mobile phone plans in 1988, the number of subscribers grew to reach 50-million in 2010,… surpassing the population of the country,… and earlier this year,… that figure was well over 64-million,… as this all-in-one hand gadget keeps branching out and gaining new features. <br /><br /> “We are looking to continue the role of the world’s pioneer of telecommunication technology. We’ll keep this momentum and start a new era of 5G technology that will not only connect mobile phones but also other things like homes and vehicles, and even help deal with disasters.”<br /><br /> The development of 5G,…is moving fast,… with industry leaders planning commercial launches early next year, with the goal that the industry will provide up to 2-percent of Korea’s annual GDP by 2025. <br />Shin Se-min, Arirang News. <br />
