LG U+ to offer smartphone users improved voice services

LG U+, Korea’s smallest mobile carrier, said yesterday that it plans to start a voice over long-term evolution (VoLTE) service late this year that will enable smartphone users to access better data and voice services.

The LTE service, or the fourth-generation wireless technology, enables customers to access a stream of data faster than the current 3G network and download and watch movies more quickly.

The VoLTE technology allows users to enjoy high-quality voice services as well.

“We are aiming to provide the VoLTE service starting in October after completing the nationwide LTE network by March,” Choi Taek-jin, a vice president at LG U+, told reporters.

He said that the company is considering providing VoLTE functions on all LTE-based devices starting next year.

Korea’s mobile carriers are ramping up efforts to have a bigger slice of the growing LTE service market as more people are counting on smartphones.

Together with top mobile carrier SK Telecom, LG U+ launched its LTE service in July last year.

According to LG U+, the number of subscribers to its LTE service topped the one million mark as of Feb. 15, and the company is seeking to lure more than four million customers by the end of this year.

LG U+ rivals SK Telecom and KT are also seeking to provide VoLTE service within this year.

Production of OLED displays to double this year globally

Global production of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays is expected to more than double this year from 2011 on the back of rising demand for mobile devices such as smartphones, a market research firm said yesterday.

Global production of OLED displays for tech products is likely to reach 242.5 million units this year, up 128 percent from a year earlier, according to DisplaySearch. The OLED technology makes it possible to make thinner displays than LCD panels as it emits light directly, making backlight installation unnecessary.

Production of OLED displays for smartphones is expected to reach 176.5 million units this year, compared with 81.3 million units the previous year, DisplaySearch said. The company forecast production of such displays to reach 261 million units next year.

Yonhap