Korea Readies Second WiBro Wave
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 – 8:02 amAmid lackluster subscriber numbers and limited network coverage, South Korea’s WiBro service is planning a resurgence. The WiBro launch in June 2006 served as the prototype for 802.16e-2005 networks. A revision to infrastructure and devices is in the works to improve network performance and coverage, conforming to the WiMAX Forum Wave 2 certification requirements. Mobile broadband adoption in Korea hasn’t been stellar. While Samsung executives we spoke with point out that the WiMAX service is outpacing the country’s W-CDMA adoption from years earlier, the numbers remain small for the broadband savvy country. Will the migration to Wave 2 WiMAX equipment be the catalyst for mobile broadband in South Korea?
WiBro services have been the exclusive playground of two operators: Korea Telecom (KT) and SK Telecom. That is unlikely to change in the near future, as the pair have the only licenses available in the allocated 2.3 GHz frequency band. KT took an early lead in WiBro and has maintained that over the first two years. Infrastructure build-out was awarded to Samsung, while subscriber devices were qualified from a number of sources. During the second half of 2007, the operator started filling in Seoul coverage gaps with micro and pico cell stations from Korean suppliers. As of Q1’2008, the operator surpassed 145,000 subscribers, according to Maravedis service WiMAXCounts. Around 80% of KT subscribers use the service for non-business purposes at an ARPU of 22,500 won (US$21.63). Subscriber devices for KT users are primarily computer peripherals though handsets and embedded laptops have diversified the mix in the last year.
The complete article about preparations for the second wave of mobile WiMAX in South Korea is available online at Maravedis
