SEOUL, Korea – July 4, 2011 - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, an advanced network solutions provider, today announced the deployment of 4G LTE network for SK Telecom, the leading mobile service providers in Korea, available from July 1st in Seoul, the capital of Korea.
Based on the objective to provide differentiated service quality in the initial stages of transfer to an LTE service, SK Telecom adopted Samsung’s latest Smart LTE solution to the commercial LTE network. Samsung Smart LTE solution enables SK Telecom to effectively handle variable mobile data traffic, through separate allocation and operation of LTE network elements as occasion demands.
Through introducing 4G LTE services, SK Telecom can fully meet subscribers’ desires to enjoy an LTE service five to seven times faster than existing 3G networks, in the most cost-effective way.
Moreover, by adding Circuit Switched (CS) fallback function, SK Telecom and Samsung intended to improve not only data service quality using LTE networks but also voice service quality using existing 3G network. Circuit Switched (CS) fallback is a 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project)-defined standard solution, providing seamless and stable voice services by supporting a smooth mobility from LTE network to WCDMA network.
Mr. Joondong Bae, President and Head of Network Business at SK Telecom said “SK Telecom will use Samsung’s advanced technology to build a seamless and flawless 4G LTE network that can complement our existing 3G WCDMA network. Samsung’s superior LTE solutions will help SK Telecom maintain its position as a world-leading network service provider by offering high quality LTE service to mobile users.”
Mr. Youngky Kim, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Telecommunication Systems Business at Samsung Electronics said, “SK Telecom has led the field in technology innovation and communications culture in Korea since its first introduction of mobile services”. He added “By strengthening our close business relationship and providing the most advanced solution to SK Telecom, Samsung will continue to help SK Telecom continually move forward as a global top service operator.”
SK Telecom aims to expand its LTE coverage to the Seoul Metropolitan Area in 2011 and provide nationwide coverage in 82 cities by 2013. In addition, SK Telecom will upgrade the LTE networks to LTE-Advanced networks in 2013 to further enhance data communications speed and capacity.
Samsung has pioneered the introduction of OFDMA technology and played a key role in expanding 4G markets around the globe. Based on its wide range of field-experience in OFDMA technology, Samsung has successfully won 8 commercial LTE contracts and partnered with more than 30 global operators including KDDI in Japan, MetroPCS and CellularSouth in US and Mobily in Saudi Arabia. Samsung offers a unique LTE portfolio, the End-to-End solution, which covers the cutting-edge LTE network equipment and various LTE device line-ups.