Premium Chocolate Handsets with Design Variation and Enhanced Specifications to be Unveiled Soon

LG Electronics (LG), a leader in consumer electronics and mobile communications, has announced the upcoming international availability of new versions of its phenomenally successful Chocolate handset.

Slated for release around the world across Q3 and Q4 of 2006, the latest versions of the million-selling phone include white and pink handsets and new �premium’ Chocolate phones with unique design variations and enhanced technical specifications which will be available before the end of the year.

“As the first handset under the Black Label premium brand, Chocolate has been an amazing international success, smashing sales records in many countries,” explains Jae Bae, Executive Vice President of Mobile Communications Company of LG Electronics. “It’s important to continue to develop the Chocolate family to build on this success, which is why LG is expanding the range, giving Chocolate even wider appeal.”

Following the successful international launch of the Chocolate phone – which sold more than one million units globally in just eight weeks since early May – is no mean feat, but the latest handsets take Chocolate to new audiences, for whom stunning design and desirability combined with great technology are lifestyle expressions.

Chang Ma, Vice President of Marketing Supporting Team of Mobile Communications Company of LG Electronics adds: “The coloured Chocolate handsets will appeal to consumers who want their phone to say something about their personality. The cool white and tempting pink versions ooze modern style and chic while the forthcoming premium handsets with unique design variations promise to be even more desirable, adding technology enhancements to unbeatable design.”

The new handsets are already enjoying significant sales success in South Korea and, following in-depth research among 18 and 35 year olds around the globe, the decision has been taken to introduce the phones to select international markets.

“The regional availability of different Chocolate handsets reinforces LG’s strategy of launching products that are targeted at specific markets,” adds Jae Bae. “While Chocolate has gone on to be an international best-seller, the decision to launch across continents was only taken after intensive focus-group research to ensure local markets would be receptive. However, whether or not to launch all of these handsets or selection of the handsets will differ by each country based on each market needs.”

“LG Electronics has 6 design centers worldwide including Seoul, Milan, Beijing, New Jersey, New Delhi and Tokyo which shows commitment to following a design led product development strategy with reference to consumer research to meet consumer needs of each region. While we will always develop cutting edge mobile technology, we also understand that buyers are changing their habits when it comes to choosing mobile phones. The Black Label Series gives LG a unique sales proposition both for mobile retailers and consumers, providing a highly-visible, extremely luxurious brand. Chocolate’s success has been a clear validation of that strategy and the new handsets, along with other totally new Black Label launches, will help LG establish itself as the number one manufacturer of design-focused mobile phones worldwide.”

KTF, one of South Korea’s leading cellular providers, has launched a next-generation ultra-high speed 3.5G wireless network in Seoul and cities across South Korea using wireless broadband technology from LG-Nortel, a joint venture of LG Electronics and Nortel (NYSE/TSX: NT). The network supports advanced handset capabilities including high-definition (HD) video, video chatting, messaging and remote monitoring.

The new 3.5 G HSDPA, handset-based service is being launched with two handset models in the initial deployment – including the first HSDPA phone from LG Electronics, the LG-KH1000. A further four to five handsets are planned later in the year. KTF’s new service is branded ‘WorldPhone View’, a name representing ‘the world at your fingertips’ through access to video and collaborative multimedia applications.

KTF’s HSDPA mobile communications will be rolled out in 50 cities across South Korea beginning June 30. LG-Nortel is the primary network supplier and is the exclusive vendor for 34 cities including the vast Seoul metropolitan area which alone accounts for almost 50 percent of the total population of Korea. It is estimated that 80 percent of the country’s population will be able to access the service by the end of August 2006. A further 34 cities will be added by year-end, raising that figure to over 90 percent of the population, according to KTF estimates.

“The launch of our ‘WorldPhone View’ HSDPA service is a key component of KTF’s portfolio of next-generation mobile services,” said Won-Jin Park, executive vice president, KTF. “We chose LG-Nortel as the primary supplier for our UMTS/HSDPA network based on its strong technology credentials and our existing relationship. LG-Nortel has successfully implemented a world-class network which allows us to implement groundbreaking services as we enhance the mobile communications experience for all our customers.”

“LG Nortel, with the strong support of our parent companies Nortel and LGE, has implemented a secure, reliable, high-speed network to support the innovative range of services and applications KTF is launching to its customers,” said Peter MacKinnon, chairman of the board, LG-Nortel. “Korea leads the world in wireless broadband and LG-Nortel plays an integral role in ensuring the continuation of that success. We will work closely with KTF on the evolution of their network to support higher uplink speeds and ever-more sophisticated service requirements in the future.”

A key differentiator of HSDPA compared to current technologies is its ability to support high-speed, real-time HD video content. ‘WorldPhone View’ users will be able to access a variety of new services, including video SMS, video ringtone services, video chatting, video ad messaging and video remote monitoring – as well as high-quality video telephony. High-speed broadband capabilities will also enhance music downloads and high-volume multimedia collaboration and set the foundation for more sophisticated online gaming applications. The two HSDPA handsets being launched will also support universal integrated circuit (IC) cards, allowing access to secure transactions for transportation, membership, mobile banking and credit card services.

KTF’s HSDPA wireless network can deliver services at download speeds up to 14.4Mbps. The introduction of LG-Nortel’s HSUPA upgrade, planned for early 2007, will increase uplink speeds to 5.8 Mbps, improving performance for services requiring the high-speed upload of data.

Demonstrating its technology leadership, Nortel achieved the industry’s first HSDPA mobile call in January 2005 and Nortel and LGE completed the first live test calls using a commercial handset solution for HSDPA in March 2005. More recently, in February 2006, Nortel achieved approval for the introduction of high speed OFDM and MIMO packet access, in line with its technology HSOPA, into the Global 3GPP LTE standards. This paves the way for ‘multiplay’ services including voice, high-speed interactive applications including large data transfer, feature-rich IPTV, IMS enabled services, all with full mobility.

3 Expands Mobile Music Offering to 500,000 Music Tracks on The LG U890

3, Ireland’s newest mobile network, has just launched the latest in its range of great value, high quality 3G video mobiles – the ultra-slim LG U890, starting at just €49.

This sleek new handset takes mobile music to the next level. With one-click access to more than 500,000 tracks, LG U890 owners can now access the largest mobile music library in the country – and it’s only on 3. The U890 also features external music keys allowing you to control the music you’re listening to, and the new “drag and drop” feature allows files to be transferred from a compatible PC to the handset.

One of the coolest features of the LGU890 is undoubtedly its state of the art integrated music player which offers much of the functionality of MP3 players including playlists and music library management. The U890 also supports Bluetooth, meaning you can listen to music on your mobile in perfect stereo quality.

Available in silver and pink, and silver and blue, the LG U890 is one of the slimmest and lightest 3G handsets available in Ireland. With vital statistics of 17.5 mm thin, and 98g in weight, this mobile will impress fashionistas and music fans alike. True to the adage that great things come in small packages, the U890 is jam-packed with all features you’d expect from the 3 range of mobiles; including 1.3 mega-pixel camera, video calling capabilities, large 2.2″ colour screen, 70mb of internal memory and support for an external memory card.

Robert Finnegan, Managing Director, 3 Ireland said; “This new sleek and stylish handset not only lets you be your own DJ with its state of the art music functionality, but it also fully supports all of 3′s great video mobile services and content. With the launch of the LG U890 from just €49, and our continuing portfolio of great value 3G mobiles, 3 once again proves that you don’t need to sacrifice quality to get great value.”