At the signing ceremony, the two companies announced plans to make all-out efforts to demonstrate 5G in 2018 and commercialize 5G service in 2020. To this end, they plan to establish a test bed at SK Telecom’s Corporate R&D Center located in Bundang, Seoul, to verify and demonstrate 5G technologies.

Specifically, SK Telecom and Nokia will develop ‘cmWave/ mmWave 5G technology,’ which uses wideband spectrum resources in ultra-high frequency bands (6GHz or higher) for data communications. The technology is currently being discussed as one of the core 5G technologies by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a mobile telecommunications standardization organization. ’cmWave/mmWave 5G technology’ uses wideband spectrum resources from 6GHz or higher frequency bands for data communications. Combined with MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) technology, it supports gigabit-class data transmission.“By joining hands with Nokia, we expect to accelerate our speeds toward the development of core 5G technologies,” said Choi Jin-sung, Executive Vice President and head of SK Telecom's ICT R&D division. “Envisioning an era where all things and people are organically connected, SK Telecom will continue to bring innovative changes to the mobile network structure.”

“The future of mobile telecommunications network will not only connect people, but things as well. In the end, 5G will further extend human potential through advanced telecommunications technologies,” said Hossien Moiin, Head of Technology and Innovation at Nokia. “Together with SK Telecom, Nokia will make efforts to allow diverse futuristic services to be efficiently provided through 5G technologies.”

AT&T continues to expand into Mexico

AT&T has entered into an agreement with NII Holdings, Inc., to acquire its wireless business in Mexico for US$1.875 billion, less the outstanding net debt of the business at closing, in a transaction pursuant to Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Under terms of the agreement, AT&T will acquire companies, which operate under the name Nextel Mexico, holding all of NII’s wireless properties in Mexico, including spectrum licenses, network assets, retail stores and approximately 3 million subscribers.

Nextel Mexico’s network covers approximately 76 million people. The acquisition of Nextel Mexico will support AT&T’s plans to bring greater competition and faster mobile Internet speeds to the Mexican wireless market. AT&T plans to create the first-ever North American Mobile Service area covering over 400 million consumers and businesses in Mexico and the United States, and Nextel Mexico’s subscribers will be included.

Combining Nextel Mexico with Iusacell will allow AT&T to more quickly improve and expand its mobile internet service to the benefit of millions of Mexicans, particularly those who live outside major metropolitan areas, than it could otherwise do without the transaction.

Sprint attempts to convert AT&T subs with data rollover

Times are tough for Sprint. The company was first to the plate with 4G with its WiMAX network, only to have that technology usurped by the now-pervasive LTE technology. In the interim, Sprint has lost subscribers to its competitors, even as it has continued to offer unlimited 4G LTE service contracts.

Taking a page from T-Mobile's playbook, Sprint began targeting Verizon and AT&T customers with low-price contracts and buyout offers. Now, Sprint is upping the ante by offering to maintain data rollover for AT&T customers who jump to Sprint. 

Check out this snippet from Sprint's announcement:

"Today, we are giving qualified AT&T customers another reason to switch – carryover data. AT&T customers on a data share plan switching to Sprint for the Cut Your Bill in Half Event will now get carryover data included in their plan. You’ll get unlimited talk and text to anywhere in the U.S. plus we’ll match your plan’s data allowance and let you carryover the unused data to the next month - all while on the Sprint network. Didn’t use all your data this month? No problem, we’ll let you carryover the unused data from month to month up to the amount of your original data allowance."

Google reportedly mulling MVNO with Sprint, T-Mobile