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Tag: SK Telecom

  • SK Telecom’s 11Street to let shoppers buy from Amazon

    SK Telecom’s 11Street to let shoppers buy from Amazon

    SK Telecom Co., South Korea’s largest mobile carrier, said Monday it is partnering with Amazon.com, Inc. to allow South Koreans to have easier access to products on the U.S. e-commerce giant’s platform.

    The carrier said users of its e-commerce unit 11Street Co. can directly purchase the U.S. company’s products on its platform. It did not provide a specific time frame for the service’s launch.

    SK Telecom said it has also made an agreement with Amazon so that the U.S. tech giant has the right to acquire a stake in 11Street based on the South Korean e-commerce company’s progress in the local market.

    The announcement comes as SK Telecom is currently planning an initial public offering (IPO) for 11Street.

    The carrier said in its third-quarter conference call that the e-commerce unit is among its list of subsidiaries, such as new mobility spinoff T map Mobility Co., that will pursue IPOs.

    The e-commerce unit’s sales reached 135.7 billion won (US$122.7 million) in the third quarter, up 8 percent from a year earlier, according to SK Telecom.

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  • SK Telecom signs series of MoUs for greater smart city solutions

    SK Telecom signs series of MoUs for greater smart city solutions

    The South Korean Telecommunications operator announced the signing of the Memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) Authority and some others who are planning to build smart infrastructure with 5G and self-driving elements.

    The deals are meant to strengthen the country’s position in smart city development with regards to 5G network deployment, autonomous vehicles, and connected hospitals.

    “We will work closely with the IFEZ Authority to accelerate the IFEZ’s transition to a smart city powered by SK Telecom’s 5G network and mobility technologies,” said Park Jin-hyo, the operator’s CTO.

    As part of the deal, SK Telecom is expected to create a machine-readable HD map of the IFEZ area (which is comprised of Yeongjong, Cheongna, and Songdo) with information to help support autonomous vehicles. This information includes road conditions, lanes, and speed limits.

    “The HD map will b built with Dynamic Data Platform, a 5G-based real-time update solution for HD maps. Dynamic Data Platform automatically updates HD maps upon receiving road observation data from Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) over 5G network,” said Jin-hyo.

    He added, “SK Telecom plans to install ADAS and 5G communication modules to public transport vehicles and official government cars in the IFEZ area to detect all changes in the road environment.”

    Both parties aim to work together to achieve smarter and safer transportation by taking into account the policies that will be put in place. In order to do this, they aim to build a data hub that will enable them to oversee the floating population.

    Another deal that was devised, was between SK Telecom and Yonsei University Health System which will provide 5G network solutions and smart technology to hospitals. The smart hospital that is in the making is forecasted to be opened by the beginning of 2020.

    “The 5G-powered digital hospital will be equipped with SK Telecom’s Ai speaker- NUGU- to enable patients with physical difficulties to easily control their beds, lighting, and TV with their voice. They can even use NUGU Call service to get medical assistance in case of emergencies,” SK Telecom stated.

    The hospital is also expected to have AR-powered indoor navigated which will use 3D mapping technologies to “enhance the convenience of patients and visitors”.

    This will allow patients in isolation wards to receive visitors through holographic projections. Additionally, facial recognition will be used on medical worker to ensure greater safety and security for the patients. “Unlike other access control systems that require some kind of contact – fingerprint, pass, etc- the face recognition system allows contact-free entry to help reduce the risk of infection”.

    They also plan to create an incubator for startups called Venturepolis which will be based in Songdo. Venturepolis will support startups that work with smart office solutions.

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  • SK Telecom unveils AI smart speaker

    SK Telecom unveils AI smart speaker

    SK Telecom has revealed plans to launch a new AI voice activated digital assistant named NUGU Nemo.

    NUGU Nemo is an AI speaker with a 7-inch display that contains a range of free video and learning content for children.

    This includes Pinkfong from SmartStudy, which comes with a range of video and audio content as well as games aimed at helping kids learn Korean, English and mathematics.

    The device uses video recognition technology to protect children’s’ eyesight by advising them to move back from the screen if they move within 15cm of it.

    For adults, the device displays information on its screen including stock information, real-time foreign exchange rates and a Korean-English dictionary to enhance user experience.

    The device will be priced at 199,000 won ($175) and be available to preorders from April 23, SK Telecom said.

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  • SK Telecom using quantum cryptography for 5G security

    SK Telecom using quantum cryptography for 5G security

    South Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom said it will use quantum cryptography technology to ensure security of its 5G mobile networks.

    The mobile carrier said Monday it has completed applying Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG) technology of ID Quantique (IDQ), to its 5G subscriber authentication center. The move is designed to prevent hacking and ensure quantum-safe security.

    “The subscriber authentication process is the first and essential step in verifying a mobile device user before he/she is granted access to any voice and video data service, SMS, etc,” SK Telecom said in a statement.

    “Security in this process is crucial since the leakage of authentication key value can lead to serious crimes such as eavesdropping and hacking.”

    In February 2018, SK Telecom invested $65 million into IDQ to accelerate development of quantum technologies for the IoT and telecoms markets.

    SKT plans to expand the use of QRNG in its long-term evolution (LTE) networks in April.

    The mobile carrier will also strengthen security further by applying IDQ’s quantum key distribution (QKD) technology to its 5G and LTE networks between Seoul and Daejeon – the area which has highest mobile data traffic in the country- next month.

    QKD provides cryptographic security based on the laws of quantum mechanics. It enables two parties to produce a shared random secret key known only to them, which can then be used to encrypt and decrypt messages, the mobile carrier noted.

    “As security emerges as one of the most important issues in the 5G era, SK Telecom is determined to provide the most secure 5G network and focus on expanding the ecosystem by developing quantum cryptography technologies,” SK Telecom CTO Park Jin-hyo said.

    SKT will further enhance the safety and security of its mobile networks by expanding the application of quantum cryptography technologies by stages, Park added.

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  • SK Telecom builds 5G mobile edge computing open platform

    SK Telecom builds 5G mobile edge computing open platform

    SK Telecom unveiled its mobile edge computing (MEC) open platform, which it says can enhance response times in 5G data communications. The operator plans to open up its MEC platform to enterprise customers to enable them to offer new services.

    MEC, which will be used in 5G networks to deliver ultra-low latency data, enables operators to cut down on latency by installing tiny data centers at 5G base stations. SK Telecom says MEC can cut latency by 60%. Applications such as AR/VR services, cloud gaming services, autonomous driving and fleet management, and real-time live broadcasting will all make use of MEC in 5G networks.

    “By opening up the ‘5G Mobile Edge Computing Platform’, SK Telecom will secure the basis for expanding the MEC-related ecosystem and accelerating the release of 5G services,” said Park Jin-hyo, CTO of SK Telecom, in a statement. “SK Telecom will join hands with diverse companies throughout the globe to boost the adoption of MEC-based services.”

    SK Telecom is releasing an API that enterprise customers can use to develop MEC-based 5G services. The company is betting enterprise customers can use the platform to improve efficiency and QoE by reducing latency in communications. A smart factory, for example, can use the MEC platform and a 5G network to increase response time of manufacturing robots.

    At Mobile World Congress this year, the operator teamed up with MobiledgeX to demo a MEC-based industrial AR service. SK Telecom is also working with the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), the Facebook-backed tech initiative, to build out an ecosystem for MEC developers.

    SK Telecom also successfully conducted a 4G-5G network dual connectivity test with Samsung, using Samsung’s E-UTRAN New Radio Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) tech, which is based on the 3GPP 5G NR standard.

    The test checked network device interoperability using dual connectivity technology on 4G and 5G networks using Samsung’s Galaxy S10 5G smartphone and its virtual core (vCore) product that supports 4G and 5G simultaneously. The companies were able to achieve data rates of 2.65 Gbps on a 5G smartphone, with 1.5 Gbps coming from 5G using 3.5-GHz frequency and 1.15 Gbps coming from LTE using 1.8-GHz, 2.1-GHz, and 2.6-GHz frequencies.

    SK Telecom says the technology can be used to improve transmission data speed by 80% by leveraging the 4G and 5G dual connectivity.

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  • SK Telecom, IT&E to deploy 5G network in Guam and Saipan

    SK Telecom, IT&E to deploy 5G network in Guam and Saipan

    South Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom announced that it is in discussion with Citadel and IT&E to deploy a 5G network in Guam and Saipan. In a statement, SKT and IT&E will work together to commercialize the 5G network with fixed wireless access (FWA) offering in Guam and Saipan in the second half of 2019.

    SKT said IT&E has already secured 1150MHz bandwidth in the 28-GHz frequency band for 5G communications and aims to become the first operator to launch commercial service in the region.

    The 5G network will initially cover dense central areas of cities, local business customers, and areas that lacked fixed broadband infrastructure. This will be expanded gradually to wider areas.

    According to SKT, the decision to deploy 5G FWA initially came as a result of an analysis of the region’s fixed broadband infrastructure, topographic features and the needs of residential and enterprise customers. FWA provides IT&E with a more cost-effective and efficient alternative to offer broadband services in areas with limited access to fixed broadband infrastructure.

    As part of the collaboration, SKT will help IT&E design a 5G network optimized for the local environment, support network deployment and perform field trials and network optimization.

    SKT said the pair have also discussed cooperation in other areas, such as deploying SK Telecom’s security solutions to IT&E’s 5G network, and adopting mobile edge computing and quantum cryptography technologies to enable faster and safer 5G services.

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  • SK Telecom to launch data analyzer with Microsoft

    SK Telecom to launch data analyzer with Microsoft

    Korea’s No. 1 mobile carrier SK Telecom said Wednesday it will collaborate with U.S. software giant Microsoft for big data solutions to expand its presence in the global market. SK Telecom said it signed a development and global business cooperation agreement with Microsoft in Silicon Valley to step up development and global marketing in big data analysis.

    Under the partnership, SKT will launch its real-time big data analyzer, Metatron, on Microsoft’s public cloud platform Azure.

    Metatron provides quick and easy data analysis, which also includes data collection, storage and visualization processes. Azure is the world’s second-largest public cloud provider, used in 140 nations across the globe.

    The two companies agreed to launch the big-data-based asset performance-management service for the commercial market in July.

    “The partnership is expected to set the ground for Metatron’s footprint in the global market,” Choi Yong-jin, SKT’s data labs director, said in a release.

    Already well-established in its domestic market, SK Telecom has focused on leveraging its mobile network technology expertise and increasing revenue in content, software and security.

    During MWC Barcelona, set to open next Monday, the company plans to demonstrate its 5G technology, including quantum-safe cryptography solutions and mobile edge computing.

    Quantum-safe technology encrypts transmitted data using special quantum keys, which prevents interception or theft.

    Edge-computing systems process data locally, in nearby data centers or on devices, which eases the strain on networks and improves data reply times.

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  • SKT brings 5G workplace to life

    SKT brings 5G workplace to life

    ID cards, laptops and business trips will no longer be necessary, according to SK Telecom, when the 5G network-based smart office environment becomes an industry norm. The mobile carrier showcased its smart office technology test bed in Jongno District, central Seoul, Wednesday. Currently, about 300 SK Telecom employees are working at the space set up roughly a month ago by renting out three floors in the Centropolis building.

    At the entrance to the office, SK Telecom has facial recognition technology manning the security desk. Due to privacy issues, only employees who have agreed to register their biometric information can pass through the gate without an ID card.

    Inside the office, a display panel shows seat reservations. The screen shows all available seats inside the office, similar to the systems seen in university libraries and also shows who is in which seat. When designing the smart office, SK Telecom made it into an open space so employees can freely move around. The display even shows how many toilet cubicles are available for immediate use, although in this case employee names aren’t shown.

    The carrier said it used roughly 2,300 sensors, including on the ceilings, CCTV and even doorknobs in the bathrooms that track relevant data on employees’ work patterns inside the office. The data collected will be used to develop smart office solutions packages for enterprise customers.

    The desks in the office come with desktop computers connected to mobile routers that convert 5G signals into super-fast Wi-Fi. Beside the computer monitor is a docking station for smartphones. The so-called virtual desktop infrastructure enables employees to bring up what they were working on with their personal computers on the desktop computer using the cloud. Unlike simply mirroring a smartphone display, the phones become an authorization medium that allow the computer to verify which work files are downloaded from the cloud.

    At one side of the office is a space for so-called telemeetings that could cut down the need for frequent business trips. SK Telecom said it used its “T real telepresence” technology to invite multiple users into a virtual space where participants can have meetings while watching videos or 3-D designs of game characters and buildings together.

    After donning Microsoft’s HoloLens, this reporter was invited to a telemeeting to discuss the design of a game character.

    Within the virtual meeting, attendees were able to see and walk around a moving 3-D game character while interacting with the avatars of other people in the meeting.

    The experience wasn’t perfect – the field of view was small and constantly looking around was necessary in order to follow everything that was going on, but the potential of the technology to greatly reduce the need for business trips was evident.

    Other technologies already being used in the office included a barista robot and artificial intelligence-based autonomous vending machine, which can track employee purchases with camera sensors.

    Would any of these innovations be possible without 5G network?

    According to SK Telecom, yes. But, while all of these technologies are possible on the existing 4G LTE network, the new high-speed network, touted to be 20 times faster when fully commercialized, offers faster and more stable internet connection even when a million devices are connected at once.

    In essence, 5G ensures that all these systems work seamlessly without their huge data usage interrupting networks or slowing down work.

    “Dependency on landline internet will be reduced and high-capacity data will be delivered fast enough for real-time telemeetings with 5G,” said Shin Seung-ho, a manager from SK Telecom’s media lab under ICT center.

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  • Facebook strikes deal with SK to pay data fees

    Facebook strikes deal with SK to pay data fees

    Facebook reportedly finally agreed to pay data traffic fees to SK Broadband after two years of negotiations. According to local media reports Sunday, the social media giant and internet provider agreed to a two-year network usage deal to set up a cache server for temporary data storage and provide fast Facebook access to SK Broadband users. While the two companies did not confirm the exact sum, Facebook will reportedly pay more than what it previously proposed during negotiations.

    SK Broadband is not the first internet provider that Facebook will be paying in the country. In 2015, it signed a contract with KT to open a cache server. The two companies are currently working on renewing the contract after it expired last July.

    The new deal with SK Broadband comes after Facebook faced negative press for inconveniencing users while trying to avoid paying network fees to SK Broadband and LG U+.

    In late 2016 and early 2017, the social media giant re-routed non-KT users to its server in Hong Kong when they tried to connect to the platform, slowing down access considerably. The Korea Communications Commission charged the company 396 million won ($353,900) in fines and ordered it to change its practices.

    Following the agreement with SK Broadband, the social media giant is expected to open up a cache server with the internet provider.

    The company is also reported to be working with LG U+ on a similar deal.

    The recent deal highlights the question of whether other foreign IT giants will follow suit and pay data traffic fees to Korea’s network providers.

    Many Korean businesses have complained that current laws and practices hurt domestic firms. Naver and Kakao, for example, pay around 70 billion won and 30 billion won every year to Korea’s three network providers to compensate for their high traffic volume, while Google and Netflix – which are thought to be responsible for half of Korea’s data traffic together with Facebook – pay none.

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  • Seoul, SKT to add 5G to transport system

    Seoul, SKT to add 5G to transport system

    Sensors on roads will be able to alert cars when people are jaywalking and bus stops will tell buses to slow down in crowded areas when Seoul’s 5G infrastructure is ready, the city’s government and SK Telecom said in a joint statement Thursday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and SK Telecom have teamed up on an initiative called the Cooperative-Intelligent Transport System, an upgrade of the current transportation system in Seoul. The pilot program will run until the end of 2020 with a budget of roughly 25.4 billion won ($22.6 million).

    Seoul already has a digitized public transportation system with signboards at bus stops telling passengers when the next bus is coming and whether it is crowded, and T-Money cards that enable people to transfer between various means of public transportation with little additional cost. The city aims to use 5G to make that transport system even safer.

    SK Telecom will supply 2,000 5G devices for buses, taxis and traffic signal controllers so they can connect with the 5G network. The mobile carrier said the devices will be co-developed with Samsung Electronics.

    Buses and taxis installed with 5G will constantly share data with bus stops, traffic lights and other traffic infrastructure. SK Telecom and the Seoul government will look for dangerous situations by analyzing the shared data to prevent accidents. As SK Telecom operates the country’s largest navigation app – T Map – the carrier said it will send out warnings through the app to reach the largest number of drivers possible.

    SK Telecom said there are about 30 safety services the 5G-based transportation system can offer.

    Roads installed with 5G sensors can detect jaywalkers, the mobile carrier said. While cars may have difficulty spotting people in the dark or during bad weather, 5G-connected sensors will alert nearby cars and prevent accidents. In 2017, 9,590 accidents were caused by jaywalkers, the largest cause of road accidents for pedestrians, according to data from the Korea Road Traffic Authority.

    The country’s largest telecom company also said 5G connectivity between cars can prevent secondary accidents by sending warning messages to following cars when an accidents occur in areas with poor visibility, such as around a corner or a bend in the road.

    As well as partnering on safety services, Seoul and SK Telecom are also preparing to jointly establish an autonomous driving test-bed in Sangam-dong, western Seoul, by the first half of this year. A self-driving vehicle will run back and forth between Digital Media City Station and buildings in the area. The SK Telecom-operated autonomous vehicle will begin running in the area from June at the earliest.

    “The Cooperative-Intelligent Transport System project is a futuristic business that combines state-of-the-art digital technologies, like 5G, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence (AI) and the cloud,” said Ryu Young-sang, an executive vice president of SK Telecom. “We hope to offer a range of traffic safety data to Seoul citizens using 5G and reduce traffic accidents.”

  • SK Telecom announces plan to take on KakaoTalk

    SK Telecom announces plan to take on KakaoTalk

    SK Telecom introduced a new messaging service on Tuesday in an attempt to compete with Korea’s dominant chat app, KakaoTalk. The new service will look a lot like Apple’s iMessage. Users won’t have to download a separate app. It is offered to SK Telecom subscribers only. Messages will be sent on data networks. Group chat and check whether your message has been read will also be offered.

    Later in the year, SK Telecom promises more features so that users can share mobile gift coupons and transfer money. These are all services already offered by KakaoTalk.

    SK Telecom is trying to make its service competitive by offering freebies. Transfers of picture or video files of less than five megabytes will be free from data charges. It is also running promotions through June that will allow sharing of files up to 100 megabytes for free.

    The carrier is also preparing to launch a dedicated message service targeting business customers within the first half of this year.

    That service is based on Rich Communication Services (RCS), a communication protocol developed by the Global System for Mobile Communication Association better known as GSMA, to replace SMS messages.

    The telecom said it is planning on making the message service compatible for customers of different carriers in Korea.

    In December, KT introduced a message service dubbed Chatting based on the same RCS specifications. Basic features are identical for the two services, but they differ in some features depending on what telecom a person uses.

    Last year, KT promoted a chatting bot service on the new message service. Simple inquiries about the company’s products and services could be handled by the chat bot. In the future, it is planning to linking shopping services to the chat bot.

    Luring customers away from KakaoTalk will not be easy. Chat app users are resistant to change because all their friends use the same app.

    In the initial stage, SK Telecom’s chat service will only be offered to owners of Samsung Electronics’ flagship smartphones Galaxy Note9, S9, S9+. By February, Galaxy Note8, S8, S8+ users will also get in through an update.

    The upcoming Galaxy S10 smartphone will come with the RCS-based message app pre-installed.

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  • Four Korean firms join forces to fight Netflix

    Four Korean firms join forces to fight Netflix

    SK Telecom is teaming up with three major broadcasters to launch a new video content service in a bid to challenge the popularity of foreign services like Netflix. On Thursday, SK Telecom and broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS signed an MOU to combine their current over-the-top (OTT) media service businesses and launch a new and improved service by the first half of this year. OTT refers to content that is delivered directly to users over the internet without going through intermediaries like television.

    The four companies will also establish a joint venture that combines the OTT operations of each party. SK Telecom CEO and President Park Jung-ho said he is seeking around 200 billion won ($177.9 million) in investment for the new firm.

    SK Telecom’s subsidiary SK Broadband currently operates Oksusu, a television and movie platform released in 2016. The three broadcasters have Pooq, a joint venture that MBC and SBS both have a 40 percent stake in, while KBS holds 20 percent.

    Videos from over 70 channels are available on Pooq, including drama series from the 1990s and early 2000s.

    All four companies are expected to benefit from the partnership. Pooq has already established ties with Southeast Asian companies, having partners in Hong Kong’s Viu, Malaysia’s iflix and China’s iQiyi.

    During the MOU signing, SK Telecom CEO Park said he hoped to see the new strengthened service launch in Southeast Asia by June.

    In return, the three TV channels will have access to SK Telecom’s financial resources, which can be invested in original content production.

    The partnership is seen as an effort by the domestic companies to combine forces to fend off growing foreign competition, especially that posed by Netflix.

    Oksusu has 9.46 million registered users while Pooq has 3.7 million. Netflix is estimated to have around 900,000 domestic registered accounts, still trailing far behind the local companies.

    These figures only tell half the story, however.

    While Oksusu is the No. 1 OTT service in Korea in the number of accounts, its number of monthly active users is only estimated to be two-thirds of registered users. OTT services from competing mobile carriers like KT’s Olleh TV and LG U+’s Video Portal are also catching up quickly in total users.

    Also, very few original videos produced by Korean OTT service providers have enjoyed success.

    Netflix, on the other hand, saw tremendous growth in the three years it has been operating in Korea.

    As of last September, users spent a total of 283 million minutes a month on Netflix’s mobile app on Android according to WiseApp, which analyzes mobile app usage. Just two years ago, users had spent 14 million minutes a month on Netflix, or 20 times less.

    During the same period, the time that Oksusu and Pooq users spent on the apps increased less than twofold.

    Users spent a total of around 600 million minutes a month on both apps as of last September.

    Experts believe that the content budget is largely to explain for the differences in growth.

    Netflix is estimated to have spent around $8 billion on content production and licensing last year. Oksusu spent only around 10 billion won in content investment, however, a fraction of Netflix levels.

    “Through this partnership, Korean OTT service providers can strengthen the competitiveness of their content, which has been their weakest point,” said Jung Ji-soo, an analyst at Meritz Securities. “[The companies’] goal of becoming Korea’s Netflix will also help in energizing the domestic media ecosystem.”

  • LG U+ 5G pass self-drive test on expressway

    LG U+ 5G pass self-drive test on expressway

    LG U+ has successfully tested a 5G-powered self-driving vehicle on an expressway for the first time. The mobile carrier announced Tuesday that a self-driving car developed by Hanyang University successfully drove on LG U+’s 5G network for 25 minutes across seven kilometers (4.35 miles) of busy city roads including the Gangbyeon Expressway and Olympic Expressway.

    A low latency video transmitter developed by LG U+ delivered real-time footage of the test drive to Hanyang University. Two cameras attached to the self-driving vehicle recorded the front and rear of the car.

    During the test drive, the vehicle had to react to certain scenarios such as avoiding obstacles and changing course. The vehicle was also tested to see how it reacts to new traffic information such as a blocked parking lot entrance.

    The vehicle was remote controllable, offering added safety measures in case of emergency.

    It was the first time that a self-driving car has completed a test drive on such a scale on an expressway or high-speed road in Korea, according to the company.

    “Self-driving cars that run on the 5G network will make important contributions to solving social problems like traffic volume and accidents,” said Sunwoo Myung-ho, who teaches automotive engineering at Hanyang University.

    “It’s significant that we were able to produce substantial results with self-driving cars through cooperation between industry and academia,” said Kang Jong-oh, who manages future technologies at LG U+. “We will continue to invest our efforts into developing self-driving car technology through cooperation between mobile carriers and the auto industry.”

    LG U+ will continue to work with Hanyang University to polish its 5G-based self-driving car technology.

    Competitors SK Telecom and KT are also actively investing in self-driving technology. KT, for example, successfully tested a self-driving bus at Incheon International Airport last month.

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  • Factories, tractors and robots benefit from 5G in Korea

    Factories, tractors and robots benefit from 5G in Korea

    All three of Korea’s mobile carriers launched their 5G networks on Saturday, the first day of December, officially kicking off an era of the high-speed network. SK Telecom started transmissions from its Bundang network management center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi; KT from its Gwacheon network control center in Gyeonggi; and LG U+ from Magok Science Park in western Seoul. All of the 5G networks operate on a 3.5-gigahertz (GHz) frequency band.

    5G boasts a 20 times faster data transmission speed than the currently prevailing fourth-generation long-term evolution (LTE). Its competitive edge lies in ultra-wide bandwidth, ultra-low latency and ultra-fast connectivity. Data transmission speed of 5G is more than 20 gigabytes per second (Gbps), meaning a 2.5-gigabyte ultra high-definition video can be downloaded in just one second.

    The network can currently only be accessed by corporate clients, not individual users. Businesses can use the card-shaped mobile routers to pick up the 5G network and convert it into super-fast Wi-Fi.

    Individual subscribers are expected to be able to start using 5G from March, when smartphone devices supporting the new network will become available. Samsung Electronics is expected to unveil its Galaxy S10 smartphone as early as February and may come up with two different versions: one supporting LTE and one that works on 5G.

    SK Telecom’s first 5G customer was Myunghwa, a product quality assessment firm in Banwol Industrial Complex in Ansan, Gyeonggi. The company is using the network to process ultra-high definition photos of auto components taken from different perspectives as the products are being moved on a conveyer belt. The images are transmitted using the 5G mobile router to a cloud server, where a high-performance artificial intelligence interface can instantly tell whether a product is faulty.

    SK Telecom also began test operations of its 5G autopilot vehicles in Hwaseong and Siheung, both in Gyeonggi. The vehicles are able to exchange information about their status while on the road with a control center and traffic lights dozens of times per second.

    KT celebrated the launch of its 5G network by having a robot as its first subscriber. The robot, called Lota, will be guiding visitors to the Seoul Sky observatory at Lotte World Tower in Songpa District, eastern Seoul.

    “We chose Lota to show that 5G doesn’t simply mean a generational shift, but will become a platform that will innovate our overall lives and industry,” said KT in a statement.

    KT plans to prioritize 24 major cities nationwide as well as key public transportation routes and university areas, where traffic demand is expected to be high, for 5G installation in the near future.

    LG U+’s first corporate customer is LS Mtron, an industrial machine developer based in Anyang, Gyeonggi. The two companies have jointly developed a 5G remote-controlled tractor, the first in Korea. LG U+ said 5G-based remote-controlled technologies may minimize human engagement in risky working environments, such as the removal of mines and industrial waste disposal.

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  • SK’s Chey says group is committed to U.S. society

    SK’s Chey says group is committed to U.S. society

    The chairman of Korea’s SK Group was in Washington on last Wednesday, vowing to make a commitment not only to the U.S. market but also its people and society. Chey Tae-won, who heads Korea’s third-largest conglomerate by assets, formally opened the Washington office of chipmaker SK Hynix in the presence of dozens of American dignitaries, including former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

    What was initially meant to be an opening ceremony was expanded under the name “SK Night” to provide a platform for Chey to explain the group’s current operations and investment plans in the United States, group officials said.

    “Past years, every different SK subsidiary … opened up their branches in the East Coast and West Coast, Texas … but they never actually [had] real communication with society,” Chey said in a speech.

    “Well this time, we will be investing in the U.S. about more than $7 billion here and there,” he said, citing as an example the planned construction of an electric vehicle battery plant in Jackson County, Georgia.

    “That’s going to be a $1.6 billion investment, and we’re going to hire right now more than 1,400 people,” he added to applause. “But within five years and if the market allows us, then we can expand [investment to] $5 billion and hire more than 6,000 employees there.”

    The plant is to be built by the group’s energy-chemical business, SK Innovation. On Monday, SK Biopharmaceuticals said it has applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to win approval for sales of a newly-developed epilepsy treatment drug.

    Chey has pushed to expand SK’s presence in North America this year to add to business networks in China, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. During his stay here, he met with American business partners and local subsidiaries to help expand their presence on the continent.

    “[By opening up] the Washington office, I’m trying to show our commitment not only [to the] business side but also social value and commitment to society,” Chey said, adding that the group’s target is to “grow together” with U.S. society.

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