South Korea's top cellular phone operator SK Telecom has said Sunday it had signed an agreement to provide China Unicom with code division multiple access (CDMA) technology and to co-operate in Internet-related services.

SK Telecom said in a statement that both companies will work together to set up the CDMA service networks of China Unicom at an earlier time and to upgrade the system.

CDMA is a digital wireless standard that allows more phone calls and data to be crammed into a given frequency spectrum.

Spokesman Paik Chang-dong said...SK Telecom would provide China Unicom, the second largest mobile company in China, with the expertise and technology to establish CDMA networks.

He said SK Telecom was the first telecom company in the world to start a CDMA-based mobile service in 1996.

U.S. company Qualcomm first developed the original technology and chips.