LTE: UK: EE to launch first 4G service.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: UK: EE to launch first 4G service.

EE has confirmed it will officially launch the UK’s first 4G service at the end of this month, announcing the availability of a range of handsets that will be compatible with the new network.

EE is the new 4G brand recently introduced by the country’s largest operator, Everything Everywhere, owner of the UK arms of T-Mobile and Orange.

While the operator had earlier pledged to switch on 4G-LTE in 16 UK cities by year-end, it appears to have held off on announcing an official launch date while regulator Ofcom was involved in ‘crunch’ talks with rival operators.

Ofcom announced earlier this week that all the country’s mobile operators should be in a position to launch LTE services using new spectrum from spring 2013, five months earlier than previously planned. This was seen as an attempt to appease Vodafone and O2, which had been angered by Ofcom’s controversial decision to allow EE to refarm its 1800MHz spectrum for LTE – and therefore launch 4G ahead of rivals.

“This is a significant milestone for the United Kingdom, and for the people and businesses of our country who will now be able to enjoy the huge advantages of superfast 4G technology for the first time,” said EE CEO Olaf Swantee .

EE will launch 4G in ten cities on the 30 October, and will cover 16 cities – a third of the UK population – by the end of the year. It is aiming for 98 percent coverage by 2014.

From today, the 4G ready Samsung Galaxy SIII LTE, HTC One XL and Huawei Ascend P1 LTE will be available to buy on Orange and T-Mobile 3G price plans. They join the iPhone 5 which was launched recently. Once 4G launches, Orange and T-Mobile customers with 4G ready handsets can then choose to move across to the new 4G EE customer brand or remain on the existing 3G network.

LTE: UK to launch LTE services in Spring 2013.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: UK to launch LTE services in Spring 2013.

UK regulator Ofcom has confirmed that all of the country’s mobile operators should be in a position to launch LTE services from spring 2013, five months earlier than previously planned.

In a statement yesterday, the regulator noted: “Following discussions with TV broadcasters, Digital UK and the transmission company Arqiva, Ofcom has secured the earlier release of frequencies that were previously used for digital-terrestrial broadcasting. This spectrum will now be cleared and ready for 4G mobile services across much of the UK five months earlier than previously planned, from spring 2013. This has only become possible in the past few months as a result of the significant progress that has been made to date with the digital switchover and the clearance programme itself, which has been running ahead of schedule.”

Specifically, Ofcom said that the clearance date for TV transmitters in Oxford and Waltham – which would otherwise prevent deployment of 4G mobile services to around 9 million people in cities including London, Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield – will be brought forward by five months to May 2013. Similarly, the clearance date for transmitters which impact around 1 million people in and around Glasgow and Edinburgh will be brought forward by more than three months to April 2013.

This progress comes in the same week that Ofcom has held “crunch meetings” with UK operators. The meetings appear to have been an attempt to appease Vodafone and O2, which have been angered by Ofcom’s controversial decision to allow market-leader Everything Everywhere (EE) to refarm its 1800MHz spectrum for early LTE services – and therefore launch 4G ahead of rivals. Last month EE launched a new 4G brand and pledged to launch LTE services in 16 UK cities by Christmas.

Auctions in the ‘digital dividend’ 800/2600MHz bands suitable for 4G are expected to start in December, with official bidding taking place early in 2013.

LTE: Brazil: Oi preparing LTE network build.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: Brazil: Oi preparing LTE  network build.

Brazil’s number four operator Oi is to invest BRL1 billion (US$493 million) in developing an LTE network in the country between now and 2015 and plans to achieve 50 percent coverage in seven Brazilian cities by April 2013.

Oi’s chief executive Francisco Valim made the comments during the launch of a network using the new technology in Leblon, Rio de Janeiro, yesterday. Valim said the company will sign supplier contracts for 4G technology on October 16.

Oi’s plans come as Latin America’s largest mobile market is required to build-out 4G coverage in the host cities for the 2014 football World Cup, which is being held in Brazil.

In June the country’s four largest mobile operators all acquired 4G spectrum in auctions, netting BRL2.72 billion in total for the government. Telefonica’s Vivo submitted the highest winning bid (BRL1.05 billion), followed by America Movil’s Claro (BRL844.5 million), TIM Brasil (BRL375 million) and Oi (BRL345 million). 4G spectrum was up for grabs in both the 2.5GHz and 450MHz bands, suitable for urban and rural coverage respectively.

LTE: France: SFR to launch services in November.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: France: SFR to launch services in November.

French mobile operator SFR plans to launch 4G LTE service on 28 November this year. The operator had earlier scheduled the launch in early 2013 but now it has advanced the launch date. SFR will introduce LTE first in Lyon followed by other cities.

Operator had started 4G deployments during this year including Lyon and Montpellier and currently doing advanced pilot.

SFR also announced that its 3G+ (HSPA) network now covers 98.6% of the population and will reach the level of 99.3% population at the end of 2013. Operator also plans to provide Dual Carrier HSDPA + (DC-HSDPA+) coverage to 60% of the population by the end of 2012. Operator had started DC-HSDPA + deployments in 2011.

LTE: Mexico: Telefonica to deploy LTE in October.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: Mexico: Telefonica to deploy LTE in October.

Telefonica Mexico is deploying LTE in the country  through its Movistar brand. The LTE service will be available from October this year. The announcement was made by Juan Antonio Abellán, CEO of Telefónica Mexico.

Telefónica will launch the first stage of the LTE network initially in the area of Polanco, Mexico City, Zapopan, Jalisco, and San Pedro, Nuevo Leon. 

At this time the company has one of the most modern mobile networks in the country and plans to invest more than three billion dollars in next generation networks during the remainder of 2012 and during 2013.

LTE: Huawei launches the Ascend P1 LTE smartphone. Video promo.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: Huawei launches the Ascend P1 LTE smartphone. Video Promo.

Huawei announced availability of its Ascend P1 LTE smartphone, describing it as “the device compatible with the highest number of frequency bands”. As previously announced, it will initially be available in the UK through Everything Everywhere, with other markets set to follow.

According to the Chinese company, Ascend P1 LTE is being tested on operator networks across Europe, Latin America, North America and Asia Pacific regions. It is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

Earlier this year, Huawei revealed aggressive smartphone targets for 2012,looking to ship 60 million devices – compared with 20 million in 2011. Much of the growth will come from its home market, as customers transition from smartphones to feature phones.

The company is already offering a non-LTE version of the Ascend P1 worldwide, and has created a TD-SCDMA market for China Mobile.

Specifications: (Please click on the two images below to enlarge the view)

Samsung and others OEM`s to boost Europe sales, thanks to iPhone 5 LTE limitations.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Samsung and others OEM`s to boost sales in Europe, thanks to the  iPhone 5 LTE limitations.

The European GSM model of the iPhone 5 supports LTE in the 850 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2.1 GHz bands. Those bands can be used by relatively few operators in Europe, including EE in the UK and Deutsche Telekom in Germany. Vodafone and Telefónica will be restricted to offering the latest Apple smartphone with access to their slower 3G services.

This iPhone 5's European LTE limitations will "push Vodafone and many other European operators harder into the arms of Samsung," especially as the South Korean company's popular Galaxy S line of phones includes an LTE version that is compatible with their networks, Robin Bienenstock, a London-based analyst for Sanford C. Bernstein, told Bloomberg.

The LTE limitations could also boost the sales of Nokia and HTC, which have each recently unveiled new high-end and mid-range smartphones running Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 software.

In an attempt to sidestep the issue, Telefónica's O2 UK said it plans to offer iPhone customers with a long-term contract the chance to upgrade to an LTE handset once the operator's own LTE service is launched. A company spokesman told Bloomberg that the operator will offer 10 per cent towards buying out the old contract and will pay the taxes.

Vodafone and Telefónica already offer LTE smartphones from Samsung, LG and HTC that can access their LTE networks using frequencies other than the 1800 MHz band.

However, Bienenstock told Bloomberg: "The question for operators now becomes in the near term--how sticky is Apple's software versus the better speeds of the Samsung Galaxy's, and how much subsidy will be put behind this?"

So, some of Europe's leading operators will likely offer cheaper and more varied alternatives to Apple's new iPhone 5 due to its limited support for European LTE frequencies.

LTE: Russia: Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) launched LTE services.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: Russia: Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) launched LTE services.

Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) has launched LTE services in most of Moscow and 40 population centers in Moscow regions. Nokia Siemens Networks announced that it is the sole vendor for the TD-LTE network launch and a range of comprehensive services. As part of the network, the company has provided its Single Radio Access Network (RAN) and Liquid Core based Evolved Packet Core (EPC).

MTS is focusing on achieving LTE coverage in 96% of Moscow by the end of 2012 and also plans to double the coverage in Moscow provinces from the current level of coverage in 40 towns.

Under the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks has provided its Single RAN platform, based on its compact, energy-efficient Flexi Multiradio Base Station for the TD-LTE network. The company has migrated MTS’ complete network from WiMAX, deploying 2,200 advanced, multi-technology base stations from its mobile broadband offering. Nokia Siemens Networks has also provided its Liquid Core based Evolved Packet Core (EPC) platform, including Flexi Network Server (NS) and Flexi Network Gateway (NG).

In addition, the company has provided its New Technology Home Location Register (NT-HLR) and Home Subscriber Server (HSS).

LTE: USA: AT&T launched New 4G LTE Markets.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: USA: AT&T  launched New 4G LTE Markets.

AT&T has launched LTE network in Detroit, MI; Honolulu, HI; Seattle, WA; Pittsburgh, PA and Portland, OR markets as it continues nationwide 4G LTE rollout. With this new addition, AT&T LTE network is now live in 72 markets.

According to AT&T,  its HSPA+ and LTE network covers 275 million people and almost 90 percent of its mobile data traffic now runs over enhanced backhaul that supports both HSPA+ and 4G LTE data traffic.

AT&T expects its LTE deployment to be largely complete by year-end 2013.

Over the past five years, AT&T invested more than $115 billion into operations and into acquiring spectrum and other assets that have enhanced our wireless and wired networks.

LTE: Austria: Telekom LTE offers largest country covering.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: Austria: Telekom LTE offers largest country covering.

Telekom Austria said that an independent audit by Systemics-PAB had shown its A1 LTE network offered the largest coverage in the country, with the operator stating that it has deployed the technology in all provincial capitals and major conurbations.

In a statement Hannes Ametsreiter, Telekom Austria’s group CEO, said that by the end of 2012 more than one quarter of the population will have LTE coverage, with DC-HSPA+ 3G coverage for around 70 percent.

LTE: Singapore: M1 is launching Samsung,HTC LG,ASUS, and Huawei phones and tablets 4G LTE on 15 September 2012.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: Singapore: M1 is launching Samsung,HTC LG,ASUS, and Huawei phones and tablets 4G LTE on 15 September 2012.

LTE: Singapore: M1 is launching nationwide 4G LTE service on 15 September 2012.

Singapore's telecom service provider, M1 is launching of its nationwide 4G LTE service on 15 September 2012. In addition, operator is also introducing new smartphone and mobile broadband service plans.

M1’s 4G service, operating on its advanced dual band network in the 1800MHz and 2600MHz spectrum, will encompass both street level and in-building coverage. According to operator, with M1’s 4G network, mobile users will be have typical download speeds at fixed locations ranging from 6.9Mbps to 17.4Mbps.

M1’s 4G subscribers will have 4G roaming services in Hong Kong with it's partner, SmarTone Telecommunications Holdings Limited. More countries and operators will be added in the near future.

M1’s new smartphone and mobile broadband service plans will be made available to all new and re-contracting customers from 15 September 2012. At launch, 4G devices that will be available include handsets: Samsung GALAXY Note LTE, Samsung GALAXY SII LTE, HTC One XL and LG Optimus True HD LTE; tablets: ASUS Transformer Pad TF300TL and Samsung GALAXY Tab 8.9 LTE; USB modem: Huawei E392, and mobile Wi-Fi modem: Huawei E589.

Operator has launched 4G service within the financial district in June 2011.

LTE: Australia: Optus introduced 4G LTE Network in Sydney, Perth and Newcastle

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: Australia: Optus introduced 4G LTE Network in Sydney, Perth and Newcastle.

Australian operator Optus has introduced 4G LTE network in Sydney, Perth and Newcastle and plans to launch LTE services in Melbourne from 15th September, 2012. Optus has also began offering Samsung GALAXY S III 4G to its customers.

Optus 4G coverage in Sydney stretches from Bondi in the East to Newington in the West and from La Perouse in the South to Dee Why in the North. Where as in Perth, it stretches from Perth Airport in the East to City Beach in the West and from Como in the South to Innaloo in the North. In Newcastle, Optus 4G coverage is available across Newcastle, as well as in Port Stephens, the Hunter Valley and Lake Macquarie areas.

Optus is currently offering two 4G plans:  $60 plan comes with 1.5GB data where as 2GB plan has 2GB data. Both plans have unlimited standard national SMS and unlimited Optus to Optus mobile voice calls.

LTE: Huawei has completed end-to-end VoLTE voice call with eSRVCC.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Huawei has completed end-to-end VoLTE voice call with eSRVCC (Enhanced Single Radio Voice Call Continuity, defined in 3GPP R10) handover without any perceivable interruption for the end user, company announced. Based on an end-to-end VoLTE network architecture, the test showed how an LTE user can smoothly handover from an LTE network to a 3G WCDMA network with voice call continuity.

For this test, Huawei provided an end-to-end network solution, including radio access network and core network CS, IMS and EPC. Qualcomm provided VoLTE test mobile phones embedded with the Snapdragon™ S4 processor, the MSM8960™.

According to the 3GPP Release 8 specification, Single Radio Voice Call Continuity (SRVCC) provides seamless voice services when LTE users move from the LTE network coverage to 2G/3G network coverage. eSRVCC in 3GPP R10 enhances handover performance by eliminating the need to re-establish the bearer and signaling on both sides of the call leg and only requiring an update of the local call leg and keeping the remote leg of the call unchanged. This will further optimize the handover process and limit the cause of interruption time to the re-establishment of the local call leg and ensuring a better user experience.

Australia: Samsung Galaxy SIII 4G coming to Telstra

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Australia: Samsung Galaxy SIII 4G coming to Telstra.

“The Australian market continues to demonstrate a diverse set of consumer needs and we are committed to responding to this with a wide portfolio of products. Following the recent success of the Samsung GALAXY S III, the addition of the 4G powered GALAXY S III Onyx Black and Titanium Gray is part of our ongoing commitment to leading the charge in technology innovation and choice,” said Tyler McGee, vice president telecommunications, Samsung Electronics Australia.

The carrier has confirmed that Samsung Galaxy S III 4G will be available for purchase starting October. 

Customers will be able to choose from two color options, Onyx Black and Titanium Gray.

Unlike the international version, the Australian variant comes with 2GB of RAM and LTE support, along with 16GB of internal memory and microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 64GB).

With  Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box.

The device will be equipped with a quad-core Exynos processor inside. It will also boast a stunning 4.8-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display with HD (720 x 1280 pixels) resolution, which features Corning Gorilla Glass 2 coating.

The same 8-megapixel photo snapper will be included on the back side of the phone, while on the front the smartphone packs a 1.9-megapixel secondary camera for self-portraits and video calls.

If you pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S3 4G on Optus before September 17, the carrier said that the phone will be shipped out on September 20. The service plan on Optus starts from as little as $30 (200MB data allowance) to $80 (2GB data allowance) per month with a two year contract.

Meanwhile, the 4G phone will only be available on Telstra in October, though no specific date has been given. You can register yourself on the carrier’s website to get timely updates of the phone’s availability. As for the price of the Galaxy S3 4G there, Telstra hasn’t provided any details either.

Softpedia and androidauthority

Samsung launches Galaxy camera 16 mpxls,21x, 3G,4G, LTE, Wi-Fi

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

#GALAXYCamera runs on latest version of Android OS, Jellybean and supports 3G, 4G LTE and WiFi, 4.8 inch HD Super Clear LCD touch screen, 16 Mpxls, 21x Optical Zoom, Smart probe mode,

LTE:USA: Verizon LTE network covers now 75% of country`s population.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

US number-one operator Verizon Wireless said its LTE network will cover more than 75 percent of the country’s population with its introduction in 34 new markets and expansion in 38 existing markets today.

The network is the largest in the US and will now cover 371 US markets, more than all other US operators combined, according to Verizon Wireless chief technical officer Nicola Palmer. “We are ahead of schedule with our 4G LTE market roll out and will provide 4G LTE network coverage to more than 400 markets in the near future,” she said.

In March, the operator pledged that its LTE network would be available in 400 markets and cover 260 million people by the end of the year. It also said it would ensure all new smartphones launched in 2012 were compatible with the network.

Rival AT&T’s LTE network now covers more than 74 million people in 51 markets and the operator hopes to reach potential coverage areas of 150 million people by the end of the year. Number-three operator Sprint started its LTE rollout in July with 15 markets and expects to have “largely completed” the implementation of the new network across the country by the end of 2013.

The Verizon Wireless LTE network is going live today in cities in Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Verizon

LTE: South Korea: SK Telecom hits 4 million suscribers.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

South Korea: SK Telecom hits 4 million suscribers.

South Korean number-one operator SK Telekom revealed it now has more than 4 million subscribers on its LTE network.

The operator added 1 million subscribers in just 44 days (it hit the 3 million mark on June 6), with an average of 41,000 LTE users signing up per day in July, a 71 percent increase from the 24,000 in June.

The company said the subscriber growth “solidifies” its position as the world’s second-largest LTE service provider (behind Verizon Wireless of the US).

With 75 percent of new subscribers choosing its LTE services, SK expects to add 1 million users in July, with the number of subscribers hitting 7 million by the end of the year.

 

According to executive VP and head of SK Telecom’s marketing division, Jang Dong-hyun, the operator completed its LTE deployment, covering 99 percent of the population, by 1 June.

At the beginning of July, SK launched what it claims is the first multi-carrier LTE service. The operator plans to roll out the multi-carrier LTE technology across Seoul and six other metropolitan cities by the end of 2012. More than 300,000 multi-carrier compatible devices have been sold so far, with SK expecting to sell more than 3 million devices by the end of the year.

Around 200,000 LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy S3 devices were sold in the 10 days following its launch on 9 July.

LTE: USA: Sprint might be ready for the iPhone 5 LTE.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: USA: Sprint might be ready for the iPhone 5 LTE.

Sprint has been seeding the LTE device market prior to launching its LTE service by offering an LTE hotspot from Sierra Wireless and LTE-compatible smartphones that include the HTC Evo, LG Viper, Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Samsung Galaxy S III. Along with its initial LTE service launch on July 15, the operator also introduced a white version of the LTE-enabled HTC Evo for $199.99 with a new line of service or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement.

Moreover, Sprint's LTE launch may be arriving just in time to take advantage of the rumored launch of Apple's  iPhone 5, which is widely expected to include LTE capability. Though pundits had expected the iPhone 5 to be announced in September or October, Know Your Mobile is reporting that a reliable industry source revealed the device will be introduced on August 7. In addition to having an LTE chip, the iPhone 5 is expected to be the debut device for the newest version of the handset's operating system, the iOS 6.

Sprint's commitment to unlimited data for smartphones could pay off if an LTE-compatible iPhone is unveiled.

"Unlimited plans will be more valuable for LTE than they were for 3G since LTE is a higher-speed technology and will easily cause subscribers to overshoot their monthly quota for tiered plans. In such a scenario, Sprint will remain the only national carrier to offer truly unlimited plans (T-Mobile throttles 3G speeds after a certain limit), which it can still use as a very effective ploy to lure subscribers away from the two larger carriers," wrote the team at stock analysis website Trefis, in a column for Forbes.

Earlier this month, Steve Elfman, Sprint's president of network operations, told Investor's Business Daily that the operator will offer unlimited data for the iPhone 5 "if we get it and when we get it."

Its unlimited data offering for smartphones combined with the fact that Sprint's earlier iPhone bet is starting to pay off has the operator nicely positioned going forward. According to Trefis, not only has the iPhone brought Sprint many new subscribers since the operator began carrying it in October 2011, Sprint also "was the least impacted by the seasonal slowdown in the U.S. iPhone sales last quarter as it activated about 1.5 million iPhones during the quarter, about 16 percent lower than the previous quarter."

That compared favorably against results from AT&T  and Verizon , which saw sequential declines of 43 percent and 24 percent, respectively, in iPhone sales.

Of course, Sprint's launch of LTE in five metro markets pales in comparison to Verizon's LTE coverage in 304 markets and AT&T's in 47 markets. Yet that may not be a huge disadvantage for Sprint, which promises to have most of its network LTE-enabled by the end of 2013, when some 250 million people will have LTE coverage. It appears Sprint still has some time to position itself as an LTE competitor, given that LTE adoption rates have not been spectacular so far, with market leader Verizon converting only 9 percent of its subscriber base to LTE as of the last quarter.

"As LTE adoption rates rise and the iPhone brings in the highly lucrative postpaid subscribers, we expect Sprint to see its data ARPU levels rise in concert. Sprint's unlimited LTE plans will meanwhile help it maintain its niche and differentiate from rivals at a time when wireless subscriber growth has nearly saturated," said Trefis.

Sprint LTE service will be backed up by its existing CDMA service, which is also being upgraded to offer faster speeds and few dropped and blocked calls through the operator's Network Vision project.

As Sprint's LTE network gains users, the operator intends to avoid resorting to cell splitting technologies in high-usage areas by leveraging wholesale partner Clearwire's  planned TD-LTE network. Clearwire hopes to deploy 5,000 of TD-LTE hotspot sites in 31 top-tier markets by June 2013 and is expected to name network suppliers sometime this quarter.

To date, Sprint has not publicly said why its Baltimore market was not included in its initial LTE launch. In February, when releasing its fourth-quarter 2011 results, Sprint added Kansas City and Baltimore to its list of planned LTE launch markets, but the latter was subsequently dropped from the initial LTE introduction. Ericsson is the supplier of infrastructure equipment for all of the markets that launched on July 15, while Alcatel-Lucent is outfitting Baltimore.

According to Sprint 4G Rollout Updates, as of mid-June, 55 sites in Baltimore had received Network Vision upgrades and the market looked like it could be ready to launch sometime this month.

LTE: SK Telecom in talks with Vodafone for LTE.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LTE: SK Telecom in talks with Vodafone for LTE.

SK Telecom, the south korea nation’s top mobile carrier, said Tuesday that it is in negotiations with U.K. firm Vodafone to export its in-house advanced telecommunications technology. The firm said the move is part of efforts to strengthen alliances to enable a global presence.

The so-called Smart Push technology is the primary target for the United Kingdom-based telecom group. ``Collaboration with Vodafone will be strengthened as it has keen interest in using the SK technology amid the migration into data-intensive long-term evolution (LTE),’’ said an SK executive, Tuesday.

In February, senior Vodafone executives, who manage the corporate network-related strategies, met with SK Telecom officials in Seoul and tentatively agreed to forge a close tie-up in LTE services.

The Smart Push tech, which is one of SK Telecom’s ``PETA’’-dubbed solutions, enables the smooth usage of social networking services or messengers and also facilitates the large amount of data traffic on Web-connected smartphones and tablets.

Vodafone isn’t the only firm that wants to boost a strategic partnership with the Korean mobile carrier. France’s No. 2 carrier SFR has also approached SK Telecom to check out the development phase of SK’s LTE solutions before entering into a comprehensive partnership, SK said.

SK Telecom is partnering with Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) for the Smart Push technology. Under the pact, the Korean firm is providing the solution, while NSN will be in charge of overseas sales.

``We have signed various non-binding memorandum of understanding with top overseas carriers. One inspiring signal is that they want to learn from our experiences and know-how in managing LTE services,’’ said a company spokesman.

SK Telecom is Korea’s top LTE service provider with the number of its customers exceeding 3.6 million as of last Friday, followed by LG Uplus and KT with 2.9 million and 1.5 million, respectively. 

Currently, the flagship of SK Group is the world’s second-biggest LTE service provider beating Japan’s NTT DOCOMO but behind Verizon Wireless of the United States. 

To offset the stalling local growth, all Korea’s three carriers are heavily investing in LTE networks, though huge costs for promotional campaigns in the nascent but growing market are causing them to suffer from a steep decline in profit.

Although SK Telecom was late in LTE solutions, the carrier has begun stealing share from rivals by offering high-end LTE solutions including Multi-Carrier, Advanced-SCAN and Hybrid Network Integration System as well as PETA.

In a statement, SK said Taiwan Mobile Chief Technology Officer Tom Koh also recently visited the firm’s headquarters to discuss several pending issues with SK management. ``Taiwan Mobile has requested the meeting,’’ he said, adding the partnership has been expanded to education, healthcare and security.