Thin client is becoming very popular which is server-based computing that connects WBT with network connection excluding hard disk to server.

Revenues for companies such as GEMPACK and FAST Systems are growing by 150% over a year ago and penetration of WBT, which stood at 10,000 last year, is expected to treble to 35,000.

There is a big demand for thin client in 12,000 schools across the nation as part of project to replace obsolete PCs with thin client. With limited budget, thin client is very popular since many students can access the same server.

Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education instructed heads of schools to opt for thin client when replacing obsolete PCs and relevant companies supplied WBT for 203 schools in Gyeonggi Province alone in the 1st half of the year and a total of 25,000 WBT are expected to be supplied to schools across the nation this year.

As Public Procurement Service begins procurement bidding for WBT in March and Click TV, GEMPACK and FAST Systems registered there is a growing demand for thin client in the public sector as well. Other potential source of demand for thin client include informatization project of Government Affairs & Home Administration, Ministry of Information & Communication, Internet plaza of Post Service and search systems in municipal governments.

Corporate demand for WBT doubled and even tripled for cost savings. Last year Korean Air established thin client environment for 3,600 employees and 80 small firms such as POONGSAN and Hannong Chemical also followed suit. There is also growing cases of introducing WBT instead f industrial PC.

Recently Samsung Electronics established thin client-based monitoring system in LCD production lines and Hyundai Motors is replacing monitoring PCs in production lines of Woolsan city and Beijing in China with thin client.

In addition, LG Electronics, KT and POS Data are also considering replacement of their computer systems with thin client.

Experts forecast that as thin client could reduce costs dramatically and is easy to manage 4% of domestic PC demand will be for thin client.

Choi, Baek-jun, president of Tilon, said, "Thin client has low establishment cost and if used for 5 years the cost savings is 70% higher than PC. In particular, dropping server price and improving performance puts thin client at an advantage so it is a matter of time that WBT becomes prevalent in schools and businesses.