KT has succeeded in commercializing so-called GiGA LTE, which is 15 times faster than the conventional Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.  

KT launched the GiGA LTE service that offers a maximum download speed of 1.17 Gbps —15 times faster than the existing LTE and four times faster than the tri-band LTE-Advanced (LTE-A). The latest service also provides an upload speed 10 times faster than that of the tri-band broadband LTE-A. 

The GiGA LTE service is made available by employing the “Multi-Pass” technology that Samsung Electronics and three Korean telecom service providers jointly developed and commercialized for the first time in the world. 

The launch of the GiGA LTE service means that it translates into action what KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu has declared the so-called GiGAtopia.

Jun Heung-beom, chief of KT Infrastructure Research Institute, demonstrated the new technology via a variety of gadgets, including smartphones and notebooks. Two smartphones, each connected with the GiGA and the existing LTE networks, started a download of a 1.58 Gigabite movie at the same time. The smartphone that was linked up with the GiGA network completed downloading of the movie in 17 seconds (11 seconds theoretically), but the one connected with the conventional LTE network went half-way in the download.   

The latest GiGA LTE service is based on the combination of the Three-Band LTE-A network with a maximum speed of 300Mbps and the wireless WiFI network with 867Mbps, which can be described as expanding road lanes to boost the flow of traffic.

“Currently, KT possesses 200,000 LTE base stations and 300,000 WiFi hotspots, securing the largest service coverage area among Korean telecom service providers,” Oh Sung-mok, head of KT Network Division, said. He added that GiGA LTE services are available for all apps. 

SK Telecom, which completed the setup of so-called Band LTE WiFi network last month, is to launch a similar GiGA LTE service. The telecom service provider plans to employ the new technology to allow customers to play mobile games or watch live broadcast services, “T-LOL” and “T-Sports.” The latest service will be expanded in the second half of this year to cover “Mobile TV” and “Btv Mobile.”

LG U+ is soon to launch its so-called GiGA Multi-Pass.

The latest LTE services will be offered in an area with both Three-Band LTE-A and mobile WiFi hotspots via Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge smartphones. Customers can be offered the latest LTE services free of charge via the WiFi hospots, but they will have to shoulder a fee on data use via the Three-Band LTE-A network. Clients paying between 50,000 won and 60,000 won are entitled to gain access to the latest services without additional fees. 

Three telecom service providers plan to hold meetings with Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics to expand the number of smartphones that can offer the latest LTE services.