HSDPA Due in South Korea Next Year

South Korea's SK Telecom has selected LG Electronics (LGE) and Nortel to deploy HSDPA and WCDMA platforms in the country. Nortel will provide the HSDPA infrastructure, while LGE will provide the UMTS core network.

SK Telecom's commercial launch of UMTS services in Pusan, Korea's second largest city, and the southern provinces of Gyeongsang-do, Jeolla-do and Jeju Island is planned for November 2005, with commercial launch of HSDPA following in early 2006.

"HSDPA wireless broadband services will transform communications in Korea," said Myung Sung Lee, executive vice president and head of SK Telecom's Technology Strategic Group. "This LGE and Nortel solution will allow our subscribers to enjoy next generation services at unprecedented speeds, as well as position us to rapidly develop new and competitive services to meet Korea's increasingly sophisticated mobile communication requirements."

"The SK Telecom win is another important milestone for the LGE-Nortel joint venture, which will supply networks covering all cities and regions of the Korean peninsula," said Peter MacKinnon, president, GSM/UMTS, Nortel. "The contract continues Nortel's leadership in supplying UMTS/HSDPA technology to Korea, which has the highest broadband penetration and one of the most sophisticated telecommunications markets in the world."

Posted to the site on 4th October 2005