SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM) announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ericsson, a world-leading provider of telecommunications services and equipment, to cooperate in the development of advanced LTE-A technologies.

The MOU signing ceremony took place yesterday in Barcelona, Spain, with the attendance of Choi Jin-sung, SK Telecom’s EVP and Head of ICT R&D Division, and Thomas Noren, Ericsson’s VP and Head of Product Area Radio.

Under the MOU, the two companies will work together to develop and demonstrate cutting-edge LTE-A technologies including small cell-related technologies, so as to secure technological leadership in the LTE-A era.

At MWC 2013, SK Telecom and Ericsson will jointly demonstrate LTE-A Super Cell 1.0 that virtually eliminates inter-cell boundaries and make multiple number of small cells/macro cells act as one cell by allocating identical cell IDs. As the technology removes the need for handover that occurs when the phone is moving away from the area covered by one cell and entering the area covered by another cell, customers can enjoy seamless communication service including ultra-fast data rates even at the cell boundaries. The technology will be displayed at both companies’ booths during the event.

SK Telecom plans to apply Super Cell 1.0 to its LTE-A network in the second half of this year and promote advancement of its LTE-A network in a flexible manner in accordance to the international standardization of core LTE-A technologies.

SK Telecom and Ericsson’s decision to cooperate in small cell technology comes as the technology is increasingly being highlighted by global mobile carriers as the most cost-effective measure for expanding network capacity and offloading data.

According to Informa Telecoms & Media, a UK-based research firm, the total number of small cells deployed around the world in 2012 stood at 6.5 million, and the figure is expected to reach 15 million by the end of 2013 and 91 million by the year 2016.

Choi Jin-sung, Executive Vice President and Head of ICT R&D Division at SK Telecom said, "SK Telecom will work closely with Ericsson, the world’s top telecommunications equipment manufacturer, to launch a differentiated LTE-A network in the second half of 2013 to allow customers to experience innovative changes in their daily lives through evolved network technologies."

Thomas Noren, Vice President and Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson said, "Ericsson is very pleased to cooperate closely with SK Telecom, one of the world’s leading LTE operators, to develop solutions for a successful launch of LTE-A network. This is aligned with Ericsson’s heterogeneous networks strategy that will enable even better end-user experience in the Networked Society."