`Golden Frequency` to Be Distributed Early Next Year

The Korea Communications Commission said yesterday that it will distribute a “golden frequency” for mobile phone companies earlier than expected to create more jobs.

It will also encourage wireless broadband service providers to invest in building communication networks by allowing them to enter the voice telephone market, and further develop high-speed Internet to help schools use Internet protocol TV.

The commission is considering reporting these measures to President Lee Myung-bak Friday at its operational report.

The commission plans to advance the period to take back 20MHz bandwidth from each of 800MHz and 900MHz bandwidth and reallocate a frequency for third (and higher) generation communications service to early next year. By doing so, it will encourage communication service providers to invest earlier than June 2011, when the newly allotted frequency will be used.

Several mobile communications service providers that lack a frequency for third-generation mobile communications service will invest millions if they acquire the frequency.

The frequency bandwidth used for second-generation mobile communications service, public purposes and radio telephones by SK Telecom is called the "golden frequency," since it is worth several hundreds of millions of dollars.

The commission will also allow wireless broadband providers to enter the voice phone market and subscribers to use the number "010," which is used exclusively for mobile phones.

nex@donga.com mungchii@donga.com