SK Telecom plans to begin providing commercial 4G Long Term Evolution services in Seoul in July 2011 and later upgrade its LTE networks in 2013 to LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), repurposing its second generation frequencies in the 800 MHz bands. The LTE-A upgrade will offer speeds up to 75Mbps downlink speed and 37.5Mbps uplink speed on 10 MHz of spectrum
SK Telecom also is upgrading its 3G network in April 2011 to HSPA+, the fastest 3G version and operating at speeds the International Telecommunications Union says are officially “4G” networks.
As other LTE providers have done, SK Telecom plans to launch ‘LTE data modem handsets’ in July this year at the time of LTE commercialization and expand its LTE handset lineup to smartphones and tablet PCs within the second half of 2011.
SK Telecom also will adopt its own cloud-based network technology, “Smart Cloud Access Network” to set up its LTE network. With SCAN, SK Telecom successfully separated the Digital Unit (DU) and Radio Unit (RU), the two main components of a base station.
DUs will be stored together in one area, while Remote Radio Units (RRU) – along with the antenna – moves that the company says will offer network operation efficiences. Also, with full-fledged application of cloud computing technology, the network will be able to flexibly and seamlessly handle mobile data traffic that varies by time and region.
The company plans to expand its LTE coverage to 23 cities including the Seoul metropolitan area, providing nationwide coverage (82 cities) in 2013.