Starent Providing South Korean GPRS Nodes

South Korea's SK Telecom has selected Samsung Electronics to build the data core network for Korea's first W-CDMA network using the Samsung Mobile Access Gateway 400 (SMAG 400 which is Starent Networks Corporation's ST16 Intelligent Mobile Gateway). The gateway will be deployed as the network's Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) and Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN).

The deployment of the GGSN and the SGSN - SGSN is jointly developed with Samsung - is the first for both products. Live trials have already started on the SK Telecom network. Starent Networks has already deployed Packet Data Serving Node (PDSN) and Home Agent (HA) equipment in Asia, North America and South America.

"SK Telecom is an excellent carrier which always conducts a thorough evaluation of a solution's capabilities," said Chang Soo Lim, vice president, Network Systems Division, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. "The ST16-based GGSN and SGSN solution proved to be an exceptional performer."

SK Telecom's network will be deployed by the end of this year. The network will target services in Seoul, Korea.

"We are very pleased to be working with a prestigious carrier like SK Telecom," said Ashraf Dahod, president and CEO of Starent Networks Corporation. "This allows Starent Networks to be the only emerging company in our field to have contracts for both W-CDMA and CDMA2000 networks and with multiple carriers."

The Starent ST16 Intelligent Mobile Gateway is designed specifically for the mobile environment. The ST16 is the gateway between the wireless network and core IP network. This system offers enhanced mobility, multimedia service delivery, high capacity, flexible billing, carrier-class reliability and a clear migration to an all-IP network."

Posted to the site on 3rd September 2003