SK Telecom, Deutsche Telekom strengthen ties amid COVID-19

South Korea’s SK Telecom and Germany’s Deutsche Telekom agreed to launch a joint venture later this year to develop non face-to-face platform technologies, for which the demand has been soaring amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

SKT said Sunday that the two firms have agreed to expand their cooperation on 5G technology and know-how in adapting to changes brought by the new coronavirus.

Around 20 executive members of the two companies gathered for a video conference on Wednesday and discussed their cooperation on 5G network, mobile edge computing and artificial intelligence technology.

SK Telecom said it would also share its experience of COVID-19 countermeasures, including remote work solutions and online recruitment procedures.

The South Korean telecom firm added that it was going to dispatch a group of engineers to Germany to share their know-how in managing 5G network infrastructure, as well as measures to handle heavy traffic loads on communications networks. The two companies also discussed measures to improve cloud-delivered solutions to prepare for the post-coronavirus world.

Meanwhile, the German telecom firm will extend its investments in new businesses in the Korean 5G industry, through its venture capital Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners office established here in last year, according to SK Telecom’s statement.

Deutsche Telekom has around 240 million subscribers from 13 countries.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)