Stylish and Feature-Rich HSPA Handsets Chosen by Panel of Operators
BARCELONA, Spain, February 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The GSM Association
(GSMA), the global trade association for the mobile industry, today
announced that a panel comprising of nine operators has selected two mobile
phones developed by LG Electronics as the winning products to spearhead its
GSMA's Horizon Phone initiative. The initiative aims to provide a range of
multi-band Mobile Broadband handsets that will support HSPA and meet the
needs of customers around the world.
Last year, the GSMA and several operators established an 850 User Group
to promote more widespread adoption of the 850MHz spectrum along with other
dominant frequencies. This lead to the creation of the Horizon Phone
initiative. In the first phase of this initiative, a competition amongst
handset vendors was launched to produce a portfolio of 850/1900/2100 MHz
tri-band HSPA mobile phones that could be launched into the global market.
"The GSMA's Horizon Phone initiative will help operators to establish
the 850 MHz spectrum as an integral 3G frequency band, which will lead to
greater scale economies, more cost effective communications and greater
choice of products for users," said Craig Ehrlich, Chairman of the GSMA.
"We congratulate LG as the selected supplier for the Horizon Series of
phones."
To judge the competition, a panel of experts from nine leading
operators including Ancel, AT&T, Cable & Wireless International, Entel PCS,
Rogers Wireless, Telecom Personal, Telefonica Moviles, Telenor and Telstra
worked together on the requirements and specifications needed by their
customers to meet the new demand for ubiquitous Mobile Broadband. Handset
vendors were then invited to submit proposals for tri-band HSPA handsets
operating at 850/1900/2100 MHz, as well as conventional GSM bands.
LG Electronics was chosen as the winner for two of its handsets, the
LG-KM560/LG-CM560 and LG-KP330/LG-CP330. Both phones run on high-speed 3G
networks (HSPA) at 850/1900/2100 MHz as well as on GSM at 850/900/1800/1900
MHz. The handsets were selected for their style, performance, and
competitive pricing to meet operator's market requirements.
"The selection of LG's HSPA phones for the GSM Association's Horizon
Phone initiative demonstrates that operators have recognized LG's strong
commitment to advanced technologies and business practices in the 3G
sector," said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile
Communications Company. "LG will continue to provide new and better 3G
phones that customers want, based on our cutting-edge technologies and high
standard of quality."
LG's winning handsets will be endorsed and promoted by the GSMA as part
of the GSMA Horizon Series. The GSMA Horizon Series will encompass a range
of different handset models at attractive prices supporting the most
popular frequencies used around the world.
"With the GSMA we have played a lead role in the Horizon Phone
competition. Our experience shows the 850 MHz spectrum can provide superior
in-building coverage penetration compared to the conventional higher
frequency bands and expansive low-cost 3GSM and wireless broadband coverage
to the more lightly populated areas of the world," said Sol Trujillo, Chief
Executive Officer of Telstra Corporation Ltd. "We continue to support the
creation of an integral 3GSM world standard for the 850 MHz spectrum and
welcome the release of the GSMA Horizon Series range as an initial step in
a globally unified offering that simplifies the customer experience."
Alex Katouzian, Vice President of Product Management for Qualcomm CDMA
Technologies, the chipset supplier for LG's selected handsets, said:
"Qualcomm is proud to have provided the chipset for LG's winning handsets
and to be supporting the GSMA and the entire 3G community to help evolve
wireless technologies in terms of roaming capabilities and ease-of-use. We
are very pleased that our partner has been recognized by the GSMA for their
outstanding work, and look forward to many more successes that benefit the
industry as a whole."
The Horizon Phone competition is one of a number of GSMA led
initiatives for 2008 that will stimulate the awareness of mobile broadband.
Further announcements concerning additional Horizon Series phones,
supported by leading mobile operators, handset vendors and other key
stakeholders are anticipated in 2008.
About the GSMA:
The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global trade association representing
more than 700 GSM mobile phone operators across 218 countries and
territories of the world. In addition, more than 200 manufacturers and
suppliers support the Association's initiatives as key partners.
The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure mobile phones and wireless
services work globally and are easily accessible, enhancing their value to
individual customers and national economies, while creating new business
opportunities for operators and their suppliers. The Association's members
serve more than 2.5 billion customers - 85% of the world's mobile phone
users.
SOURCE The GSMA's Mobile World Congress
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CONTACT: For further information contact: Mark Smith / David Pringle, GSM Association, Email:press@gsm.org
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