Qualcomm and Teleepoch
Enter Into a 3G CDMA Subscriber Unit License Agreement, October
6, 2007
MTN chooses Cambridge Broadband
Networks for multi-service wireless network in Rwanda, October 6,
2007
Brazilian government to
publish 3G bidding rules soon, October 6, 2007
KTF 3G service suffers
from technical problems, October 6, 2007
Argentina’s Personal
lunches 3G service in Rosario, October 6, 2007
Russia has it's first 3G
network, October 6, 2007
AT&T could drop Alcatel-Lucent
as 3G mobile network supplier, October 6, 2007
Enea Extends License Agreement
with ZTE for 3G Handsets, October 2, 2007
LG to unveil premium handsets
in Brazil, October 2, 2007
KTF 3G subscribers doubled
in less than 3 months, October 2, 2007
3G policy in India will
be non-uniform, October 2, 2007
- previous news
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South Korea operators faces a tough rollout
October 9, 2003
South Korean mobile carriers may face a tough task in introducing 3G
mobile phone services by year's end, mainly because of the shortage of
handsets.
As a final step to begin commercial 3G mobile service by December, KTF,
South Korea's second-largest mobile service operator, recently completed
a one-month pilot service with 690 potential customers, but most of them
complained of inadequate handsets and insufficient battery life.
The 3G phone, manufactured by LG Electronics, the world's sixth-largest
handset maker, is 9.57 centimeters long, 4.95 centimeters wide and 2.6
centimeters deep. It weighs 132 grams with a standard battery.
The device, dubbed LG-KW2000, has such features as a 300,000-pixel built-in
digital camera, 64-polyphony ring tone and 65,000-color screen.
However, the phone is far bulkier and heavier than current handsets,
KTF officials said. Also, it showed some glitches in its videoconferencing
call function.
Some users were unable to make a video call on the move. Further, its
battery life is just two hours, KTF said.
KTF spokesman said the company would decide on the timing of the 3G launch
after the second pilot service with potential customers finishes in mid-November.
SK Telecom, which is putting the final touches on a commercial 3G service
launch by year's end, also admitted the shortcomings of handsets could
delay the debut further.
However, LG Electronics criticized the government for requiring handset
manufacturers to make so-called dual-band and dual-mode phones.
Dual-band allows users to receive the WCDMA or CDMA2000 calls, while
dual-mode means it can work in both current 2G and future 3G networks.
Reflecting growing pessimism over the future of a WCDMA 3G network, wireless
phone operators have focused on a less-pricey standard, CDMA2000, an offshoot
of CDMA technology developed by U.S. wireless firm Qualcomm.
While WCDMA 3G technology needs the deployment of new networks to support
high bandwidth, the CDMA2000 service enables operators such as SK Telecom
and KTF to provide high-speed data transmission via mobile phones by simply
upgrading existing networks.
From the point of operators, the focus on a CDMA2000 standard is logical,
but it could delay the arrival of WCDMA service, industry observers said.
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3G Motorola A920
