Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) has unveiled plans to set up a Smart Lab in Korea, focused on developing smart device-optimized applications, services and networks. The lab will explore the potential of wireless broadband technologies for delivering a superior end-user experience. It is expected to open in the first quarter of 2011.
The NSN Smart Lab in Seoul will cater to both local and global markets. It will collaborate with operators and handset manufacturers in Korea to develop and optimize advanced services, apps and network infrastructure. NSN says the lab’s focus will include R&D and industry collaboration on advanced broadband wireless technologies that support industry megatrends such as cloud computing, M2M (machine-to-machine), smart devices and other new form factors.
“Korea boasts of a strong 3G infrastructure and the highest broadband penetration globally,” says NSN chief technology officer, Hossein Moiin. “As adoption of smart devices grows, all stakeholders are aggressively driving deployment of LTE and beyond. The country’s status as a global ICT innovation hub and an important market in its own right made it an obvious choice for our planned Smart Lab.”
The Smart Lab in Korea will be the latest addition to NSN’s existing Smart Labs in Finland and the US. NSN says the labs reaffirm its commitment to transforming mobile networks to best support today’s explosion in smart device popularity.
The company also recently partnered with Telefónica and Nokia to set up the Smartphone Experience Lab at Telefónica’s headquarters in Madrid. The lab is exploring ways of ensuring the best user experience as smartphone use grows. It is specifically looking at the ideal configuration between mobile handsets, applications and networks to improve resource consumption, handset and application performance.