The South Korean government fined SK Telecom $1.4 million for "discriminating" against other Internet portal companies by not opening its WAP to users outside of its subscriber base. WAP portal companies have long sought to open up the lucrative walled gardens of SK Telecom, KTF and LG Telecom. The government imposed no fines on the other two carriers because it found their discrimination levels to be "negligible," but it ordered them to stop nonetheless. The country claims that of its more than 37 million mobile phone subscribers, most have Internet-capable phones. The government seeks to make the WAP Internet as popular and profitable as the traditional Web.
For more on South Korea's crackdown on walled gardens:
- see this piece from TelecomAsia