SK Telecom to deploy LTE-Advanced from 2013

South Korea's SK Telecom intends to upgrade to LTE's successor, LTE-Advanced, starting in 2013.

 

The company revealed its plan while announcing the first demonstration of its LTE network, scheduled to launch in July.

 

SK Telecom also said it would apply Coordinated Multi-Point technology to the network when up and running in a bid to prevent base station interference, and “pursue early development” of LTE femtocells.

 

A pre-existing network of 2G 800MHz repeaters will also be used to boost the new network's signals.

 

SK Telecom in January chose Samsung, LG-Ericsson and NSN as its LTE vendor partners, and earlier that month revealed the results of field trials with China Mobile.

 

SK Telecom is South Korea's largest mobile operator. The company will be going head to head against LG U+ - which also plans to launch LTE in July - and KT, which has its own LTE ambitions.