NSN and SK Telecom have announced the first-ever commercialisation of Uplink Cooperative Multi-Point (CoMP), a technology that boosts uplink speeds to 4G LTE networks.
Uplink CoMP works by ensuring signals from mobile devices are received by multiple base stations. The data is then combined to increase signal strength. SK Telecom and NSN claimed that if an operator implements the technology, upload speeds can be boosted by an average of 20 percent. The technology is applied directly to base stations, meaning consumers and enterprises do not need to update their devices.
SK Telecom said the technology would help cope with the greater number of people using their smartphones to upload photos and videos. It said it would apply Uplink CoMP to all of its LTE base stations by the end of 2014.
Park Jin-hyo, Senior Vice President and Head of Network Technology R&D Center at SK Telecom commented: “Uplink CoMP… will dramatically increase the data upload speeds for our LTE customers. Continuous efforts will be made to develop and apply innovative network technologies like Uplink CoMP to provide our customers with greater convenience and differentiated value.”
Proportionately, South Korea is the world’s most dominant 4G LTE market. Half of total mobile connections are on 4G LTE, compared to 20 percent in Japan and the US, according to figures from GSMA. By 2017, one in every eight of the eight billion global mobile connections will be on an 4G LTE network. This compares to 173 million at the end of last year.
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