SK Telecom tipped to sell first 4G smartphones

SEOUL, Aug. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's mobile phone makers are strongly tipped to sell their first fourth-generation (4G) smartphones solely through SK Telecom, the country's top mobile carrier, industry sources said Wednesday.
Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics Inc. and Pantech Co. plan to provide SK Telecom with their 4G long-term evolution (LTE) sets in September, they said. The move is expected to boost SK Telecom's hold on the local mobile telecommunications market.
The 4G phones are expected to feature a 1.5-gigahertz dual core processor, a 4.5-inch super resolution screen and other improvements over existing products.
"The decision to supply SK Telecom first will enable the company to enjoy a head start, while LG Uplus will have to offer more different services to secure customers," an industry source said.
LTE smartphone models designed for LG Uplus Corp. are expected to be released in October.
SK Telecom has been tapped first because it set up a taskforce in March to outline detailed plans for providing LTE services in the country, which helped it win over local handset makers.
SK Telecom said that it has already completed upgrading its T-map, T-store and Hoppin services so they can be used by the new smartphones.
In addition, smartphone makers said that SK Telecom's existing third-generation wideband code division multiple access network is more compatible with LTE smartphones.
Besides network compatibility and service upgrades, South Korean handset makers said they want to begin LTE phone sales as soon as possible so they can better compete with Apple Inc.'s next iPhone model that could reach the market next month.