Competition for the 3-band CA begins…What are the 3 points we should focus on?

LG Electronics joined the 3-band LTE-A bandwagon by unveiling the G Flex 2. It is expected to compete fiercely over performance with Samsung Electronics, which had introduced a terminal earlier than LGE. The ability to supply terminals is expected to become a key variable that will determine the performance in the early stage. It seems that the marketing war among mobile carriers, which have been pitted against one another since the beginning of the year, will intensify.

LGE held a press conference in its head office in Yeoeuido, Seoul on January 22, and unveiled the smartphone that supports its first 3-band carrier aggregation (CA) service, i.e. the ‘LG G Flex 2.’ As it is more advanced than its predecessor in terms of performance, design and user experience (UX), it is expected to create a sensation in the domestic smartphone market at the start of the year.

“Last year, LG Electronics made endless innovations, e.g. changing the market dynamics with the G3 and continuously innovating with the G Watch R and AKA,” said Cho Seong-ha, VP of MC Company, LG Electronics. “We will lead the market once again with the launch of the G Flex 2.”

As LGE unveiled the G Flex 2, competition with Samsung Electronics over the performance of 3-band CA terminals began in earnest. As it is the world’s first commercial 3-band CA terminal, ‘speed’ is most important. The theoretical maximum download speed of both the G Flex 2 and SEC’s Galaxy Note 4S-LTE is 300Mbps. In that the actual speed is greatly affected by the communication environment, such as the number of users and distance from other base station, however, the speed may vary depending on mobile carriers.

The competition over the mobile application processor, which has a decisive influence on performance, is also noteworthy. Samsung Electronics’ Exynos 5433 was used for the Galaxy Note 4 S-LTE, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 for the G Flex 2. The Exynos 5433 was developed directly by Samsung Electronics, and the Snapdragon was applied for the first time in the world. In this sense, public attention is concentrated on whether the performance of the terminals can be maximized.

The supply capacity is also an important factor that will determine the success or failure of these two. The Galaxy Note 4 S-LTE was originally scheduled to be sold on January 21, but the release was postponed for a couple of days due to the fine-tuning between mobile carriers and manufacturers. The G Flex 2 will be officially released on January 30, and KT and LG Uplus began pre-sale on January 22. SK Telecom said that it would secure plenty of terminals and start selling them on the release date without any pre-sale.

Woo Ram-chan, managing director of the MC Company of LG Electronics, said, “We are preparing enough to meet customer demands.”

The marketing war among mobile carriers also attracts public attention. With regard to the release of 3-band CA terminals, many different interests are entangled between mobile carriers and between mobile carriers and manufacturers. A representative example is that LG Uplus still cannot schedule the supply of Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Note 4 S-LTE. In particular, as the three mobile carriers have been embroiled in the ‘world’s first 3-band CA controversy’ and the ‘subsidy controversy’ since the beginning of the year, the marketing war is expected to be more intense than ever before.