Hanaro Telecom, the second largest fixed line carrier in Korea, has decided to abandon the WiBro service, Korea’s homegrown portable internet service. WiBro is a locally developed platform that enables people on the move to remain connected to the internet at the speed of the current landline broadband. The Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) allocated three WiBro licences in February to KT, SK Telecom and Hanaro Telecom. KT, the nation’s largest fixed line telecom company, and the top mobile operator SK Telecom have paid the full licence fee while Hanaro stepped out of the deal before the payment deadline of April 30. Hanaro has decided to focus on its flagship business of landline high speed internet. The MIC plans to provide the frequency allocated for Hanaro’s WiBro to another outfit.
