SK Telecom previews file sharing for 3G phones

BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA -- South Korean mobile operator SK Telecom Co. Ltd. previewed a file-sharing application for cell phones this week that will let users swap files, including ring tones, music and videos over its 3G (third-generation) network.

The file-sharing application, which is under development, was demonstrated at the company's booth at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom Asia 2004 conference and exhibition in Busan, South Korea.

The application will create a peer-to-peer network among SK Telecom's subscribers, allowing them to freely swap files such as pictures, ring tones, music or video files, said Lee Jou Young, a developer at IXO Logic Co. Ltd., one of two companies developing the application for SK Telecom.

Users will also be able to access files stored on PCs, he said.

At present, the application doesn't include any functions that are designed to protect against copyright infringement or to manage a subscriber's right to use copyrighted material, Lee said.

"We're not thinking about that type of problem," he said.

In addition to file sharing, IXO Logic is also developing a mobile blogging service for SK Telecom users, Lee said. Blogs, or Weblogs, are online journals that can be used for a variety of applications, such as for reporting news or sharing photos with friends.

SK Telecom's mobile blogging application is being designed as a personal tool to help subscribers share their latest thoughts and activities with their friends, Lee said.

Pricing and availability of these services has not yet been decided by SK Telecom, he said.