Print

Mail

wiki links

Hopes high for `u-Taiwan' project

A "u-Taiwan" project promoting a networked society is expected to boost the country's GDP to more than NT$16 trillion (US$492.76 billion) by 2010, the semi-official Institute for Information Industry (資策會) said yesterday.

According to the institute, the project has been built upon the framework established under the "e-Taiwan" and "m-Taiwan" projects.

In the new project, the government will increase investment in public infrastructure to advance development of new hardware such as second-generation handheld devices and telematics, which will sustain the growth of the country's information and communications industry, the institute said.

Similar projects are being implemented in Japan and South Korea. The Japanese government, for example, has predicted that its "u-Japan" project would help expand the Japanese market for network-related products to NT$26.3 trillion in 2010 and create a combined production value of NT$36.2 trillion for the household electrical appliance, ubiquitous network, manufacturing, transportation, financial and insurance industries, according to the institute.

By 2010, the "u-Japan" project is expected to create direct production value of NT$134.7 trillion and indirect production value of NT$183.3 trillion, the institute said.

Meanwhile, the South Korean government expects its "u-Korea" project to boost the production value of the country's information technology industry from NT$7.2 trillion in 2004 to NT$11.41 trillion by next year. It is also forecast to increase the workforce in the industry from 1.28 million in 2004 to 1.5 million next year, as well as to expand the export volume of information technology products from US$74.7 billion in 2004 to US$110 billion in the same time frame, the institute said.
This story has been viewed 1390 times.