Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. have said they will launch cars equipped with new high-speed wireless Internet services from 2012.
“WiBro” Internet services for vehicles will be jointly developed by the nation’s biggest fixed-line Internet operator KT Corp., the two automakers said in a joint statement.
WiBro is South Korea’s homegrown technical standard for high-speed mobile Internet, based on the WiMax wireless platform developed by U.S. technology company Intel Corp.
The services will allow drivers to receive high-quality digital movies in their cars in addition to a variety of information on traffic conditions and emergency information, according to the statement.
Hyundai and Kia did not reveal how much they would spend on the project with KT.
Tech-savvy South Korea is one of the world’s most concentrated markets for high-speed Internet connections. There are about 16 million subscribers for broadband Internet, accounting for more than a third of its population.
