KTF said Sunday that it would launch the commercial service of W-CDMA (Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access) 3G telecommunications before the end of next month.

Last year, KTF and SK Telecom were chosen as the two providers of the W-CDMA service, while LG Telecom was chosen for the CDMA service.

The mobile carriers, however, had said that the planned IMT-2000 service would be postponed, as the quality of the moving images and the expected market in the country for the service fell short of expectations.

An official at KTF said the firm decided to stick to the original service schedule, as the firm is confident that the quality of the communication on the IMT-2000 would continue to improve.

SK Telecom has also been on schedule for the service. The firm said it has decided to kick off the commercial service for Seoul's Gangnam and Seocho districts, and Gyeonggi Province's Bundang district, starting this Friday.