Tyler Dixon

It is bitterly cold outside and a new semester has started in the CICS world. The last semester ended kind of rough but grades were good and looking forward to the second semester. This semester I only have class 2 days a week and I feel this will relieve some of the stress I was under last semester. So far this semester has been a little bit of a slow start. I think some of this is due to the workload and some is due to having a semester under my belt and knowing what to expect.
One of my classes this semester is ICS 642 – Regulatory Research in Context/Problems in Information Communications – International. I am looking forward to this class and to become more update with not only things around me but the world around me. Our first assignment in the class is a newsletter assignment and it was a very rewarding assignment. I learned a lot starting with how to research and using my textbook as a research tool. These things will allow me to become a better researcher as we continue with the newsletters to follow. I feel this is a great way to keep updated and to learn. The following is my first of many articles for our fantastic newsletter.

Geodelic and South Korea Strike a Deal
South Korea is continuing to branch out in its pursuit to continue its technology innovation. A South Korean based telecommunications company, Korea Telecom, just signed a deal with Geodelic. Geodelic is a Santa Monica, California based company that provides applications for cell phones highlighting the user’s favorite locations. Geodelic will begin constructing a Seoul-specific application for Korea Telecom.
The deal is suppose to bring revenues in the high seven figures according to Geodelic CEO, Rahul Sonnad. Geodelic was founded in in early 2008. The product concept was inspired by a couple years of experience using a GPS enabled laptop with a 3G broadband card every day. The Geodelic network uses discovery, instead of having you search for information. When opening the application the location carousel automatically finds locations and information around you, based on your personal interests, location, or search criteria.
Geodelic was first introduced for customers using the T-Mobile myTouch . There are now versions for different phones including the iPhone and the android. Geodelic uses a publishing platform, inspired by Universal Studios Theme Parks and Best Buy to make it unique and attractive to Seoul. Sonnad feels the deal with Korea Telecom will provide the revenue boost needed to set it apart from its competitors; Foursquare and Gowalla.
Seoul and South Korea has come a long way from the early years in the IT industry. Korea has been routinely government controlled and sectored in form of expansion in the IT industry. In 1981, there was only 3.5 million telephone lines with a penetration of less than 10 percent. By 1994 there were 960,300 cellular subscribers and 3.8 million paging subscribers making South Korea one of the fastest growing telecommunication nations in the world. This was due to the government’s response to international pressure to open its industry and go against strong domestic monopolies. This has allowed Korea to expand in both the domestic and international markets.
South Korea’s commitment to the IT industry has been shown over the last 20 years especially in the mobile phone industry. South Korea is home to Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, the world's second and third largest handset makers by revenue, respectively. With these two large companies and South Korea’s continue pursuit of the latest innovations in mobile technology; South Korea and Geodelic are poised to make a significant gain from their deal.
Works Cited:
Hudson, H.E. (1997). Global Connections: International Telecommunications Infrastructure and Policy. New York: Van Nostrand.
Malik, O. (2010, January 21). With the Iphone, geodelic finds dollars and seoul. Gigaom, Retrieved from http://gigaom.com/2010/01/20/with-the-iphone-geodelic-finds- dollars-seoul/
Olson, K. (2010). Lg books 4th-qtr net profit amid higher sales. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Retrieved from http://www.ajc.com/business/lg-books-4th-qtr-283594.html