KT and SK Telecom will launch their WiBro mobile Internet service to the South Korean market this week. WiBro is South Korea's home-grown mobile WiMAX-compatible technology (802.16e) that is actually mobile, giving speeds of 1-3 Mbps while on the move at up to 120 km per hour. The launch will be an interesting test for the technology. The Koreans are known for throwing out technology and tweaking it as they go. Another interesting test for WiBro will be to see how well it does in a market that will see HSDPA services from SK Telecom, EV-DO Rev. A services from LGT and EV-DO services from several operators, notes Mike Roberts, principal analyst with Informa Telecoms and Media. In fact, there were already 14.77 million EV-DO subscribers in Korea at the end of 2005, according to Informa. The industry has been clamoring to see how well mobile WiMAX will do against 3G technologies.
For more about WiBro in Korea:
- see this article from Telecoms.com