OWINGS MILLS, Md.-Aether Systems Inc. today announced an ambitious plan to expand its business into South Korea and get some first-hand experience with the country’s advanced cdma2000 1xRTT network. The move could better position Aether in the United States when carriers like Verizon Wireless and Sprint PCS begin rolling out their 1x networks at the end of the year.
Aether said it will set up a new company called Mobiya with the help of South Korean information technology company SK C&C. Mobiya will work to push Aether’s Fusion software foundation by offering wireless data services in South Korea. Mobiya will be 60 percent owned by SK C&C and 40 percent owned by Aether.
And the new company already has a leg up: Mobiya entered a cooperative agreement with SK Telecom, which recently launched the world’s first 1xRTT network, in order to attract business customers for wireless data services. SK Telecom’s Vice President of Wireless Internet Business Man Won Jung will sit on Mobiya’s board of directors.
“Aether views this partnership as an excellent first step in the Asian markets,” said Brian Keane, executive vice president of corporate development for Aether. “We are also excited to develop wireless solutions on Mobiya’s CDMA networks, among the most advanced and robust networks for wireless data in the world.”
