SK Telecom rolls out tri-band LTE-A service
SK Telecom claims it has commercialized the first tri-band LTE-Advanced service. The company made the announcement Sunday, noting that the service is in an effort to develop so-called “5G” networks.
The tri-band LTE-A service is designed to allow users to download a one-gigabyte movie in 28 seconds at a speed of 300 megabits per second. The speed is four-times faster than its current LTE services, and 21-times faster than 3G.
SK Telecom partnered with Ericsson and Qualcomm to develop the service.
Vodafone Australia cuts data roaming services
Vodafone Australia customers will no longer be able to use data roaming services in the United Arab Emirates beginning in 2015. The move is a concern in major travel destinations such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Vodafone officials said the change is due to an expiring contract with UAE mobile network operators, which ends Jan. 1, 2015. Voice call and text messaging services will remain available to travelers.
China Mobile to reach 80 million TD-LTE users at end of 2014
According to Digitimes Research, China Mobile increased its TD-LTE subscriber base to more than 54 million at the end of October, and is expected to reach 80 million by the end of the year. Digitimes reports that the increase is due to lower pricing, an expanded TD-LTE network and inexpensive TD-LTE-enabled devices. China Mobile is expected to focus on marketing TD-LTE in rural areas in 2015.
