SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM) today announced that it, together with Globe Telecom, a telecommunications company in the Philippines, will begin offering LTE auto roaming service on 1 April 2013. This follows the company’s previous LTE roaming service launches in Hong Kong (1 June 2012) and Singapore (1 March 2013) under partnership with CSL and SingTel, respectively.

The commercialization of LTE auto roaming service with Globe (the Philippines) and SingTel (Singapore) follows a consensus among members of the Bridge Alliance (BA) that LTE data roaming takes an important role in the future direction of next-generation roaming services, thus calling for strategic partnerships between carriers around the world. With successful LTE roaming service launches under cooperation with CSL, SingTel and Globe, SK Telecom is strongly positioning itself as the center of cooperation in the Asia Pacific region.

Moreover, SK Telecom plans to launch LTE devices that can function in four different frequency bands – i.e. 850MHz, 1.8GHz, 2.1GHz and 2.6GHz - within the second quarter of this year. These devices carry a great meaning as they mark the first Korean LTE device that can operate in 2.6GHz band, which is chosen by most mobile carriers across the world for LTE service. With these devices, customers will be able to enjoy LTE service in other countries just like they do in Korea.

Kim Young-Sup, Senior Vice President and Head of Collaboration Marketing Office at SK Telecom said, "As the first company in the world to commercialize LTE roaming, SK Telecom is committed to enhancing customer experience through seamless global LTE auto roaming. Going forward, SK Telecom will expand its strategic partnerships with mobile carriers across the globe, while also focusing on enriching the line-up of devices that function in multiple frequency bands."