SK TELECOM SAYS IT HAS LAUNCHED THE WORLDS FIRST CDMA2000 SERVICE

date: 04 October 2000, source: www.siemens.nl

According to reports in The Korea Herald, SK Telecom has said that it has launched the world first commercial launch of a cdma2000 service. The cdma2000 1X, or IS-95C system, is a 2.5G technology, seen as a stepping stone to full 3G services, as it offers many of the same services but will be deployed on existing spectrum rather than the 3G frequencies outlined in IMT-2000 specifications. The company said the service would allow data speeds of up to 144 Kbps, up to 10 times faster than existing services, and will initially deployed in the cities of Seoul and Inchon. However, the company said that consumers would not be able to use the service in full until the end of December at the earliest. The company hopes to expand the service to 23 South Korean cities by the end of the year and cover a total of 79 major cities in 2001. Information & Communication Minister Ahn Byong-yub has also confirmed that the government is considering delaying the launch of 3G from the original target date of June 2002 if all the bidders decide to adopt WCDMA standard for 3G services, so manufacturers will have more time to develop WCDMA handsets.

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