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LEAD SK Telecom, Mobile Broadcasting ink satellite deal+

Posted on: Thursday, 25 September 2003, 06:00 CDT

TOKYO, Sept. 25 (Kyodo) (EDS: RECASTING AFTER END OF SIGNING CEREMONY)

SK Telecom Co., a major mobile phone operator in South Korea, and Tokyo-based Mobile Broadcasting Corp. signed a deal Thursday for co-ownership of a broadcast satellite to beam digital voice signals and graphics to mobile phones and other mobile devices.

The deal marks the first satellite co-ownership between a Japanese and South Korean company. The satellite is scheduled to be launched at the end of January 2004, with service expected to begin next summer.

''By sharing a satellite with the South Korean company, we can offer reasonable services to clients,'' Mobile Broadcasting President Tetsuya Mizoguchi said at a news conference.

SK Telecom and Mobile Broadcasting will each determine the content of their own service while sharing operational responsibility for the satellite.

The satellite-based digital broadcasting service enables users to receive high-quality graphics even on the move in trains and cars.

Mobile Broadcasting plans to launch 66 paid programs, including news, sports and movies.

Mobile Broadcasting was established in 1998. Investors include Toshiba Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and SK Telecom.

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