Information and communication technology ministers of South Korea, Japan and China have agreed to work together on international standardization of 5G networks that would bring forward commercialization of the latest broadband technology and reduce roaming service fees.

Yoo Young-min, Korean minister for science and ICT and his counterparts -- Miao Wei, Chinese minister for industry and information technology and Seiko Noda, Japanese minister for internal affairs and communications -- discussed ways to promote cooperation in communication policies and boost exchanges at the sixth ICT meeting held at Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo on Monday.

The three ICT ministers agreed to join hands to come up with specification of 5G networks that will set standard of the latest network technology. Setting up an internationally agreed standard of network technology is the key to the technology’s commercialization.

They also agreed to cooperate cut roaming fees to reasonable levels amid growing economic and cultural exchanges among the three countries. They will also make efforts to help mobilize advanced ICT technology for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

During a sideline event arranged for meetings of ICT businesses, more than 200 government and business leaders from the three countries shared insights on emerging technologies of the fourth industrial revolution, such as the 5G network, the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), and agreed to cooperate in the development of new technology applications.

“I hope the companies from the three countries will find new business opportunities through exchanges, and lead development of technologies for innovation in the economy and society,” said Korean ICT Minister Yoo Young-min.

The three-country ministerial meeting, the sixth of its kind, was held for the first time in seven years after the last one in Malaysia in 2011.

By Won Ho-sup and Minu Kim

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