• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.61-76
• /
• 2015

In general universal service in telecommunications means a regulatory tool to secure the availability of basic communication services like fixed telephony at an affordable price throughout a country. A re-evaluation of the scope of existing universal service, however, is becoming a core issue as the penetration and usage of broadband and mobile communications matures and a new ICT ecosystem emerges. This study examined whether the universal service polices in Korea need adapting and updating to include broadband and mobile telephony in the universal service, which is based on the necessary and sufficient conditions derived from previous research and foreign countries' experiences : geographical ubiquity of a certain service and the market's ability to provide the service. The result shows the nationwide ubiquity of broadband and mobile communications exists but the ultimate goal pursued by universal service polices trying to make them available and affordable for all is being fulfilled by market dynamics in Korea. Thus, the inclusion of both services in the scope of universal service is regarded as an unnecessary regulation at present time and the expansion of universal service could be addressed as a long-term issue depending on market conditions in the future.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
• /
• v.3 no.3
• /
• pp.18-35
• /
• 2000

Universal service policy is the core of telecommunications policy and, therefore, in many countries, governments have been accomplished universal service as the critical goal of telecommunications policy. In the past when the market was under monopoly, the monopolist had the responsibility of supplying for universal service, whereas supply cost complemented through internal assistance. From 1998 when WTO basic telecommunications negotiation took effect, however, telecommunications markets fully opened, it was impossible to supply of universal service under the past system. Therefore, governments of major countries are trying to renew laws and institutions for policies compatible with competition environments. In this paper, I analyse and compare major countries' policies for the universal services and try to find out policy implication for Korea.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.172-180
• /
• 2016

This study aimed to evaluate how universal design principles are embodied in the Public Service Center. It will be used for planning the basic materials of the interior environmental design for Public Service Center facilities and for developing ways to improve interior environments in order for them to be conveniently used. In studying a method, we conducted an Universal Design check list to evaluate interior environment, targeting five Public Service Center facilities located in Gwangju Metropolitan city. This study investigated the Universal Design suitability of center interior Public Service Center on the basis of the tools for Universal Design check list which was composed of supportive design, adaptable design, communicability, safety-oriented design, and accessible design. Through theoretically considering the services of Gwangju's old city hall public service center, which got divided into common space, public service space, waiting space and informative material space. Evaluation on universal design application level showed that those with best universal design application are supportiveness and safety in public service space, communication efficacy and safety in waiting space and safety and accessibility in informative material space and acceptability in waiting space had the lowest application level.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.1-11
• /
• 2018

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate whether Moon Jae-in administration's universal service policy of mobile date to lower communications fares can be justified. To do so, this work takes a look into the key features of mobile data in our society based on a theoretical perspective as well as a practical point of view. Also, it attempts to figure out whether mobile data service should be included in the scope of universal service in Korea by analysing the key features of mobile data and rethinking the basic concepts of universal service. As a result, this work reaches a conclusion that the government should reconsider universal service policy of mobile date and reform a universal service system in a different way.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
• /
• v.33 no.5B
• /
• pp.334-343
• /
• 2008

In this work we propose a universal pricing machine, which incorporates a universal pricing framework for the future IEEE802.16 WiMAX service with multiple classes of service. A multimedia service is provided by a QoS provisioning scheme in the WiMAX network and universal pricing means that it can compute the price for any type of service in a unified framework. In the proposed pricing framework we incorporate multiple types of services such as the real time and nonreal time services that are supposed to be provided in the WiMAX network. To that purpose, let us first carry out an analysis on the current pricing scheme of Korean WiMAX service which incorporates only the data size. From that analysis we propose a new pricing scheme for the future WiMAX service that provides different service classes in the network. Via numerical experiment, we verify the implication of the work.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
• /
• v.33 no.5B
• /
• pp.356-363
• /
• 2008

The decision of the USA to found the USF(Universal Service Fund) in 1983, which was aiming to support basic telecommunication services provision at affordable price in rural and high cost areas, has triggered many countries to introduce universal service support mechanisms. Korea has been also operating a universal service support mechanism since 2000 but there are lively controversies on the change of the existing support mechanism. This paper, first, will review universal service support mechanisms in major countries including USA, EU, Chile, Peru and Japan. Second, this paper will classify types of the mechanisms and review merits and demerits of the mechanisms. Finally, this paper will derive some implications for the improvement of domestic Mechanism.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.73-84
• /
• 2019

By a comparative study of the philosophical backgrounds of universal service in Korea and the US, this research finds that Korea has paid little attention to the relations between universal service and basic human rights even though it has rapidly and successfully implemented universal service of telephone and the internet services in the past. Based on this key finding, it reaches a conclusion that Korea should adopt a new approach in implementing universal service in the future, considering the goals and contributions to the improvement of the basic human rights of universal service because economic goals have been main drivers of the implementation of universal service so far in Korea, which is not appropriate and suitable for the information society that new telecom services are rapidly emerging.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.11-25
• /
• 2017

The primary purpose of this study is to present the fact that high-speed internet service should be designated as universal service because it becomes an indispensible and crucial service in the modern information society but free market system fails to implement universal service of high-speed internet service. To do so, it theoretically analyses previous works related to the issue of high-speed internet service and universal service in a critical point of view and investigates the current situation that high-speed internet service is not designated as universal service. In conclusion, this paper suggests that high-speed internet service should be included in the scope of universal service, in terms of infrastructure and minimum transmission speed, for the development of democracy and the information society.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
• /
• v.31 no.1B
• /
• pp.46-55
• /
• 2006

It is only natural, given that the competition environment and policy priorities in the telecommunications market vary from one country to another, that methods for assessing the cost of universal service obligations differ as well. In Korea, with the introduction in 2004 of LRIC for assessing the universal service cost, the national telecommunications authority is preparing for a substantial revision of the current cost assessment method, and discussions on details of changes to be introduced are in full swing. This paper will study estimation methods for universal service costs adopted by countries around the world and compare practices concerning two of the major issues surrounding the assessment of universal service obligation cost - universal service cost ceiling and intangible benefits - to provide directions for changes to be introduced to Korea's own cost estimation model.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.67-76
• /
• 2016

The purpose of the study was to identify user' satisfaction about universal design in public service center that will be needed for helping planning and design the public service center. This study conducted a questionnaire survey targeting visitor in five district's public service center in Gwangju metropolitan city. A total of 253 responses were analyzed for identifying the level of satisfaction about universal design in public service center. The study also analyzed of the respondents depending on their demographic characteristics. The features of universal design were categorized into supportive design, communicability, safety-oriented design and accessible design, and total 25 specific items were included in the evaluation. Most of the respondents were satisfied with the waiting space, however they showed a lower level of satisfaction toward the information materials space. Those with a higher education attainment tended to be associated with stronger satisfaction with common space and information materials space. Groups with a lower age were more likely to be satisfied with common space and public service space. Also female tended to show a stronger degree of satisfaction with common space than male. The findings from this study should provide a guideline for planning and design the public service center.