For Closer Biz Cooperation

Chinese Premier Wen attends dedication ceremony of TD-SCDMA test bed at SK Telecom

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao went straight to SK Telecom's Access Institution in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, near Seoul as soon as he and his party landed at Incheon International Airport on a special plane from Beijing in the morning of April 10 and stayed there for about 40 minutes to tour the institution's facilities, SK Telecom said.
The Chinese premier's tour was considered highly unusual that his first stop in Korea was a private company, although he was on an official visit to South Korea, political pundits said. But when viewed from the economic point of view, it was very appropriate for Wen who is known for his zeal for China's economic strides.
At the institution, Premier Wen attended a ceremony for the opening of the TD-SCDMA Test Bed and conducted picture-phone talks with a Chinese cabinet minister Wang Shuidung in Beijing for 5 minutes. About 300 attendees at the ceremony included also a number of Korean government officials and SK Telecom officials led by Minister of Information and Communication Rho Jun-hyong and SK Telecom Chairman Chey Tae-won
The Chinese Premier stressed the importance of the introduction of the new communication technology, TD-SCDMA in China during his picture-phone conversation and later asked for SK Telecom's help in the opening of the new telecommunication technology system in China, SK Telecom officials said.
SK Telecom built the test bed following the opening of the TD-SCDMA research center in February in Beijing under an MOU signed between the China National Development Reform Committee in August last year.
SK Telecom feels that the linkage of the Bundang test bed with the research center in Beijing will spur greatly the use of the 3G service and strengthen the competitive nature of the TD-SCDMA to the extent that it will be a symbol for cooperation between Korea and China.
The SK Telecom's deal with China is expected to lead the way for opening China's market for 3G related facilities to amount to $10 billion including terminals, contents and equipment, providing the opportunities for Korean IT industry to make inroads into China, IT industry experts said.
SK Telecom hopes to have a big role in the development of TD-SCDMA as a global communication technology and contribute much for the development of China's communication system including 3G communication technology, which the Chinese government has been pushing with its vast accumulation of technology expertise in such areas as CDMA, WCDMA and TD-SCDMA.
In the meantime, China built the TD-SCDMA network in five cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, and others in November last year and has been conducting test runs of the system and this year the network will be extended to five more cities in China including Tianjin, and Shenyang to bring to 10 the cities linked with the new communication system in China.
SK Telecom will play a large role in developing the communication network in China through the linkage of its united service development center in Beijing, the company said.
Chairman Chey, at the ceremony in Bundang, said his company's cooperative tie with China to develop its TD-SCDMA commercialization is a symbol for partnership between business firms in Korea and China that can grow together.
The communication service and technologies that SK Telecom has accumulated over the years and its network operation experience would make the TD-SCMDA a global technology and its results would help immensely China's information and communication business.
MIC Minister Rho said in his speech that the dedication of the TD-SCDNA center is the first fruit produced in the meeting of SK Telecom's technology and the Chinese government's determination to develop a high-tech communication system in China. The continued cooperation with China in the area of next-generation mobile communication would be able to lead the global mobile communication industry going over the Asian region, the minister said.
SK Telecom signed an MOU with the national development committee on cooperation for the TD-SCDMA technology and to work together on the establishment of a cooperative model for the joint development of the communication industry both in Korea and China on August 29 last year. The MOU also specified that the results from the cooperation will be used for the mutual benefit of the communication industries in both Korea and China.
President Kim Shin-bae of SK Telecom said the TD-SCDMA center in Beijing is the first one set up by the company overseas and will be a model for China's effort to export the communication technology overseas. nw

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, 2nd L, is on a visit to SK Telecom's Access Institution just outside Seoul on April 10 to attend the opening of the new institute. MIC Minister Rho Jun-hyong is to his left and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won is just behind him.