Workers assemble mobile handsets in Gimpo. South Korea's telecoms regulator said Wednesday it would drop a requirement for mobile phones to be embedded with local software, opening the market for Apple's iPhone and other foreign brands.

South Korea's telecoms regulator said Wednesday it would drop a requirement for mobile phones to be embedded with local software, opening the market for Apple's iPhone and other foreign brands.

The Korea Communications Commission said it would scrap the so-called Wireless Internet Platform for Interoperability, or WIPI, requirement from April 1 next year.

WIPI, required for all mobile phones sold in South Korea, has been used to protect the domestic industry. Foreign firms have been restricted from selling their phones in the country due to the high costs for installing additional software.

The commission said its decision would allow "a wider choice of models for consumers" in line with technological global advancements.

Market watchers say the move will stimulate competition and development of smartphones, leading to lower prices.

"The decision to drop the requirement will likely increase sales for (local mobile service providers) as competitive third-generation phones such as the iPhone will reach the domestic market," Chung Seung-Gyo, an analyst at Woori Investment and Securities, told Yonhap news agency.

© 2008 AFP