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.TUESDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2007
Digital Korea: Convergence of Broadband Internet, 3G Cell Phones, Multiplayer Gaming, Digital TV, Virtual Reality, Electronic Cash, Telematics, Robotics, E-Government and the Intelligent Home
Speakers
Organised by Asia-Pacific Technology Network
Location: Asia House, 63 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 7LP
Nearest tube stations: Oxford Circus, Great Portland St
Timing: 17.30 - 19.00
Pricing: £40 + VAT (Executives)
£20 + VAT (Asian citizens/institutions, officials, executives from Small Companies)£10 + VAT (Academics), Free for the Media.
Jim will be introducing his recently published book, Digital Korea: Convergence of Broadband Internet, 3G Cell Phones, Multiplayer Gaming, Digital TV, Virtual Reality, Electronic Cash, Telematics, Robotics, E-Government and the Intelligent Home (futuretext ) (co-written with Tomi Ahonen)
Digital Korea is a study of the most advanced country for digital convergence, South Korea. Much of what we see in South Korea today sounds like science fiction - but forms the solid reality of life in South Korea today. Thus, it is a great source of ideas and insights which we can learn from. The book discusses a country where every household internet connection has already been upgraded to broadband; where 100 mbit/s speeds are already sold and gigabit speeds already coming; where every phone sold is a cameraphone; where three out of every four mobile subscriptions is a 3G connection; where cars and PCs and mobile phones now ship with in-built digital TVs; where 42% of the population maintain a blogsite and four out of ten have created an avatar of themselves; where over half of the population pay with cellphones and 25% of the total South Korean population have participated inside a multiplayer online game, in fact inside the same multiplayer online game. The stories from South Korea are each more amazing than the last. 50,000 citizen journalists write the national Ohmy News newspaper. While Second Life fascinates western media for its 2 million users, South Korean Cyworld has 20 million users. While we tend to view the 8 million active users of the World of Warcraft as a milestone in massively multiplayer online games, South Korean Lineage already has 14 million active gamers. And perhaps most telling of all - the South Korean government is convinced every Korean home will have a household robot within ten years. Household robots? Not just cleaning our homes and providing security, but reading bedtime stories to our kids and helping them with their homework too. Digital Korea includes chapters on all these issues and more with the state-of-the-art latest products and services described in detail. This is one of the first attempts to understand the current state of digital convergence, ubiquitous computing and the information society that is South Korea. The book is called simply 'Digital Korea', but its subtitle is long as the stories in the book are so wide-reaching: Convergences of broadband internet, 3G cellphones, multiplayer gaming, digital TV, virtual reality, electronic cash, telematics, robotics, e-government and the intelligent home. The research for the book took a long time as so many different fields had to be covered. But the resulting book is now the most up-to-date view of that exact point where science fiction meets science fact. What happens when virtual reality meet the real world, with wireless reach and broadband speed? The book is packed with statistics and case studies and Tomi's famous "Pearls". As an interesting method, they have also often placed two rival statistics side-by-side, such as "In 2006 in USA 10% of music sales was digital" accourding to IFPI, and next to it on the opposing page "in 2006 in South Korea 57% of music sales was digital" also according to IFPI. This kind of comparisons help illustrate just how much of a lead South Korea has been able to pull.
Jim O'Reilly's Background
Jim O'Reilly is an Emerging Technology specialist currently working for the Korean ICT International Cooperation Agency (KIICA) as Portfolio and Alliance and Partner Manager for the Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region based out of London. He is an experienced International promoter, speaker and authority on business development Alliances. Working at all levels of Government, commercial, R&D and Media and accurately matching the latest emerging and mass market technologies, intelligence and companies at the cutting edge of Digital IT and Telecoms.
In this role since late 2002 he has helped hundreds of leading edge Korean ICT companies and executives with hands on support, strategies, business development and partnering advice in over 20 countries across EMEA. This unique and exciting role had deepened his instinct and appreciation of the complex resources, markets, technology and finances to succeed internationally.
Jim is a passionate emerging technologist, known for his endurance and hunger for developing and marketing new opportunities and still confesses to wake up in the middle of the night with ideas for the next best start-up and venture business plans. Prior to the Alliance manager role for the Korean ICT portfolio, he was co-founder and one of key investors in his own Internet software start-up in Korea . Based near Seoul for nearly three years during the adrenalin rush of the first internet boom in 2000, he created and developed the business plan, models and an International team from 5 countries working and competing within the white hot Korean venture business and Internet explosion .He has built significantly on these first hand experiences of developing technology teams using mature and open source platforms and experienced the ultimate pleasures and merciless realities of being an entrepreneur, investor and leader in the most competitive and dynamic cyber culture in the world.
Jim has a growing reputation for evaluating and developing leading edge technology potential and is regularly consulted for product, solution and company portfolio matching by many of the European Blue chip IT, Telecoms, Broadcasting ,Venture Capital and Government groups from developed and emerging countries wishing to share the intelligence, experience and partners required to emulate impressive Korean ICT growth. He has unique experience covering end to end solutions from chipsets through software and innovative terminals for example sectors such as Broadband, Mobile TV, Mobile WiMAX, IPTV, 3G, VOIP, core networks, Value added services and more.
Prior to his seven years living or working with South Korea, Jim has had various senior management roles in commercial and technical management teams leading advanced technology and decision support projects within the ICT Industry for BMW, AT&T, Landrover/Rover, Warwick Manufacturing Group and British Steel.
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