SK Telecom to deploy 32,000 base stations for LTE-Advanced

SK Telecom is planning to deploy 32,000 base stations to expand LTE-Advanced coverage which will cover 300 university areas.

The Korean telecoms is preparing to launch new price plans and services, SK Telecom said on Tuesday.

SK Telecom is expected to secure even greater competitiveness in LTE-Advanced in the second half of this year.

Meanwhile, the company has expanded the coverage of its LTE-Advanced network to the entire Seoul area and central areas of 84 cities nationwide on July 30, a month ahead of the schedule.

According to SK Telecom’s strategies, the popularization of LTE-Advanced service will accelerate development and spread of diverse mobile-based convergence business models. For instance, the growth of SK Telecom’s new convergence businesses, including solution, healthcare and media, are expected to gain momentum.

SK Telecom to deploy 32,000 base stations for LTE-Advanced

Meanwhile, SK Telecom’s Q2 2013 revenue increased 1.3 percent quarter-on-quarter and 3.9 percent year-on-year to KRW 4.164 trillion.

Sustained growth of LTE subscribers and strong performance of enterprise solutions business were the growth drivers.

As of the end of June 2013, SK Telecom has secured over 11 million LTE subscribers, which accounts for more than 40 percent of its total mobile subscriber base.

The company has attracted around 300,000 LTE-Advanced subscribers within a month after launching the service on June 26, 2013 for the first time in the world.

The operating income expanded 34.8 percent q-o-q and 33.2 percent y-o-y to KRW 553.4 billion due to reduced marketing costs.

The net income rose 35.2 percent q-o-q to KRW 467.7 billion due to expanded operating income realized through its market stabilization efforts.

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