SKT, KT to present cutting-edge mobile technology at MWC

With the opening of the world’s largest mobile tech show just a week away, South Korea’s major telecommunications firms including SK Telecom and KT Corp. are poised to showcase their future technologies.

Korea's No. 1 mobile carrier, SK Telecom, said Sunday it will operate an exhibition space at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, under the theme of "AI, the Wave of Innovation." The company will showcase its innovative future technologies like artificial intelligence, urban air mobility and 6G service. It also plans to expand global partnerships there.

SKT, which is evolving into an AI company, will introduce a wide variety of AI services including its hyperscale AI model A., AI chip Sapeon and AI location service Litmus. A life-scale urban air mobility simulator will allow visitors to virtually experience innovative future mobility and the experience sessions can be reserved via its integrated mobile platform Tmap.

SKT CEO Ryu Young-sang is scheduled to present the company’s vision as an AI company and promote partnerships with global tech firms in a wide range of business areas such as AI, metaverse and telecommunications.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won is considering attending the MWC for the first time, according to company officials. While industry sources predicted that the SK chief will participate to support the group’s mobile business unit’s AI service, SK officials declined to comment further on his plan.

“As we accelerate our journey to become an AI firm, we’ll showcase our innovation services built with next-generation information and communications technology including AI, metaverse and 6G," Ryu said.

“This year's MWC will be an opportunity for SK Telecom’s technologies and services to enter the global market successfully."

The upcoming MWC is slated to take place from Feb. 27 to March 2, with some 1,900 companies from 160 countries participating. This year’s event will focus on the latest advancements in mobile technology, from smartphones and fifth-generation and sixth-generation networks to immersive technology and fintech services.

KT will display its digital transformation technology and the company’s digital communications, or "Digico," strategy based services. The wireless carrier will operate a booth with a motif of whales, a nod to the animations featured in KT Studio Genie’s co-produced hit drama “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” to show the digital transformation world that KT will create, the officials said.

The telecommunications giant will introduce technologies of the AI research portal Genie Labs and digital experience services of its affiliated companies such as BC Card and KT Studio Genie. In addition to solutions, platforms and autonomous driving technologies, a delivery robot that has cooling and heating systems will also be displayed.

KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo will also deliver a keynote speech on the topic of “Is it Time for Co-Creation?” at the trade show as a board member of the event’s organizing association, Groupe Speciale Mobile Association. He will present examples of KT’s partnerships in the process of transforming the company from a telecommunications-oriented firm to a Digico-oriented one.

The country's third-largest wireless carrier LG Uplus, however, scrapped its plan to set up its first booth at MWC. CEO Hwang Hyeon-sik's trip to this year’s convention was canceled, according to LG Uplus, in light of the ongoing controversy surrounding the company’s data breaches and network service outages caused by denial-of-service attacks here.

“Instead of (the CEO) examining global telecommunications trends at the MWC, executive-level employees who are in charge of network services, business strategy and technology sectors will be there to seek ties with global partners,” an LG official told The Korea Herald.

“We’re planning to observe the global ICT trends and discover future new growth engines through the event.”