SK Telecom and Deutsche Telecom agree to develop non-face-to-face platforms

By Lim Chang-won Posted : May 4, 2020, 10:16 Updated : May 4, 2020, 10:16

[Courtesy of SK Telecom]

SEOUL -- In preparation for a new global trend caused by a coronavirus pandemic, SK Telecom, a top mobile carrier in South Korea, has agreed with Deutsche Telekom, the largest telecom provider in Europe, to set up a joint venture for the development of non-face-to-face platforms by utilizing their information communication technologies.

The pandemic has sent many people staying in their homes. Social distancing, an act of not engaging in social activities or not visiting populated places, has been introduced in many countries hit by COVID-19. Content and delivery services have gained popularity, many firms using "untact" marketing to attract customers.

In a video conference, SK Telecom (SKT) and Deutsche Telekom agreed to launch a joint venture within this year for the development of technologies for non-face-to-face platforms and invest in 5G companies through the Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners (DTCP), an investment firm which nurtures promising ICT firms in Asia. DTCP has established an Asian office in Seoul.

The two companies decided to share know-how for online education and strengthen cooperation in teleworking, cloud and mobile edge computing (MEC), augmented reality and virtual reality services. SKT has invested in MobiledgeX, an edge computing company founded by Deutsche Telekom. MEC is used to provide real-time high-speed data processing.

SKT has accelerated the expansion of its partnership with global tech companies. In April, the mobile carrier agreed to strengthen cooperation with Microsoft in 5G-based MEC that delivers low-latency networks to mobile and connected devices while improving data throughput, reliability, power efficiency and security.

Edge computing is a computing infrastructure established close to the sources of data such as Internet of things (IoT) devices and machines inside a smart factory. 5G MEC technologies enable cloud computing capabilities and an IT service environment at the edge of cellular networks.

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