In the first - ever auction for frequency bands , South Korea ’ s largest mobile carrier SK Telecom ( SKT ) won the 1 . 8 GHz frequency band that will be used for the fourth generation ( 4 G ) telecommunications technology , beating out the second - largest mobile operator KT . In the nine - day run auction , SKT secured the 1 . 8 GHz frequency band for 995 billion won ( $ 925 . 67 million ) , 2 . 2 times higher than the initial price of 445 . 5 billion won . The Korea Communications Commission ( KCC ) said on Monday that SKT won the 1 . 8 GHz band for 995 billion won and KT attained the 800 MHz range for 261 billion won . Earlier , LG Uplus acquired the 2 . 1 GHz band for 445 . 5 billion won . The frequency auction was wrapped up earlier than planned , because KT gave up bidding for the 1 . 8 GHz frequency range as it was worried about an overheated competition . The competitive auction among the three mobile carriers in Korea is expected to culminate with the upcoming auction for the so - called ‘ super spectrum ’ 700 MHz band . The super spectrum , being predicted to be available from 2013 , is currently being used by the country ’ s terrestrial broadcast networks for the analog TV broadcast system . With the conversion of the analog system into a new digital TV system , the band will be returned to the communications authority . It is the most favored frequency range because of the low bandwidth . The winning bid price is predicted to be around two to three trillion won . Since the 700 MHz band is widely used in the United States , Europe and Asia - Pacific region , any smartphones on the band can be used everywhere within those regions without compatibility issues . The super spectrum is also considered the core bandwidth for the 4 G Long Term Evolution ( LTE ) technology . [ Written by Jae - kwon Sohn - Su - hyun Song / edited by Soyoung Chung ] ▶ [ 화보 ] 실격 당해 울 고 싶 은 ` 번개 ` 우사인 볼트 ▶ 불경기 의 먹구름 이 몰려온다 ▶ 미국 판 박대기 , 오물 뒤집 어 쓰 면서 도 ` 허리케인 생중 계 `▶ 손연재 ‘ 미스 토너먼트 ’ 선정 , 베를린 도 손연재 매력 에 ‘ 풍덩 ’▶ [ 아츠 포토 ] 티파니 아찔 한 초 미니 드레스 , 시선 어디 에 ~[ⓒ Maeil Business Newspaper & mk . co . kr , All rights reserved ]