KT Launches LTE Service in South Korea

KT Corp. is the latest wireless carrier in South Korea to have LTE services available for its users, after SK Telecom fired up its 4G network back in July.

The availability of faster wireless services from the telecoms company is expected to greatly increase the competition in the area.

Before the year is over, KT expects to secure a number of more than 4 million LTE subscribers, a recent report on Korea Herald reads.

The mobile phone carrier aims at making the LTE service available in a number of more than 84 cities by April, so as to match the LTE coverage SK Telecoms enjoys at the moment.

“The company’s LTE launch has been delayed for more than a month. Despite our late start, we will introduce a more complete LTE service,” said KT chairman Lee Suk-chae during a press conference.

Last week, KT was granted permission to kill off 2G services so as to use the 1.8 GHz band for 4G LTE services.

The wireless carrier also announced that it came up with a new cloud communication technology, which brings together 144 base stations under one virtual station. The system is called “Warp.”

The technology was designed to assign data capacities based on the Internet traffic around specific areas.

“The system is easier and faster to be installed. In April, 92 percent of the nation’s total population will be offered quality LTE services,” Lee said.

Apparently, KT plans on eliminating the unlimited data plans from its offering, so as to offset data loads on its network.

South Korea is the most “data-hungry country” in the world, and wireless carriers are aware of that.

KT will not offer unlimited plans, but will put in place measures to prevent “bill shocks.” The carrier will offer 20 percent more data for the first three months, after which it will shut down data usage as soon as the limit runs out. Voice call services are offered as part of the LTE bill plans, as well.