There Many Korea China CDMA Joint Ventures
SK Telecom signs accord on ties with China Unicom
SK Telecom (SKT) said yesterday that it has signed an agreement to cooperate in the
development of CDMA (code division multiple access) mobile technology with China
Unicom, a CDMA network operator.
The signing ceremony took place in Beijing Saturday with SKT President Pyo Moon-soo,
China Unicom's Chairman Yang Xianzu and other officials from both companies in
attendance.
Officials explained that SKT is the first foreign company to have concluded such an
agreement with a Chinese company.
Under the agreement, the two companies will join forces to complete the construction of a
commercial network of China Unicom's CDMA system ahead of schedule, successfully
upgrade the cdma2000 1X system and offering new businesses and extra services.
SKT will offer consulting services concerning the establishment and operation of China
Unicom's CDMA network.
To boost the efficiency of their cooperation, the companies also decided to form a joint
working group, with regular meetings and personnel exchanges.
China Unicom is scheduled to complete the setup of a network with a capacity to handle 10
million subscribers this year. And SKT expects that the deal with China Unicom would lead to
the conclusion of various other cooperative ties with Chinese telecom operators in the future,
based on its accumulated CDMA operating technology and know-how.
"A lot of companies in the world are keen to make inroads into the burgeoning Chinese
CDMA market. The sealing of this agreement, a first for a foreign company, means that SKT
was recognized for its high-level technology," President Pyo boasted.
SKT and China Unicom began looking at ways the two companies could cooperate in June
1999, when their chief executive officers, Pyo and Yang, met. They exchanged letters of
consultations in February, last year, and signed a contract for international roaming services
last September.
(hsshine@koreaherald.co.kr) |
