SK Telecom enables LTE-A roaming with Canada, Switzerland

SK Telecom appears to be leading the charge in terms of international LTE roaming, having extended its 4G connection services to Canada and Switzerland.

The carrier said Thursday that it has launched LTE international roaming services in Canada and Switzerland under partnerships with Canada’s Rogers and Swisscom, allowing SK Telecom’s LTE and LTE-Advanced subscribers to use seamless roaming in all areas of Switzerland excluding mountainous regions, and major cites of Canada including Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton.

The company said that since most of the mobile phones released from August will work on the 2.6GHz spectrum, LTE roaming service will become readily available in many countries in Europe and the Americas, helping SKT expand its global LTE roaming footprint to other areas of Europe and the Americas.

The Korean company is in talks with mobile carriers in Japan, China and the US to launch LTE roaming service in those countries

The LTE Asia conference is taking place on the 18^th-19^th September 2013 at the Suntec, Singapore. Click here to download a brochure for the event.

South Korea is one of the world’s most advanced mobile markets, with all three operators running LTE and the race to LTE-A already underway. In June, Swisscom claimed to have performed the world’s first intercontinental LTE roaming connection between Europe and Asia, having opened up roaming services with other operators in South Korea. Wholesale carrier services firm BICS was identified as the facilitator for LTE roaming via its IPX offering.

“Since launching the world’s first LTE international roaming in Hong Kong, SK Telecom has continued to make efforts to expand its LTE roaming coverage to allow customers to enjoy seamless LTE service while travelling overseas,” said Kim Young-sup, SVP and head of collaboration marketing office of SK Telecom. “SK Telecom is also in talks with mobile carriers in Japan, China and the US to launch LTE international roaming in those countries.”

Look out for our forthcoming feature on South Korea and LTE. Sign up to the newsletter to stay informed.