SK's ifland metaverse service goes global

SK Telecom’s ifland metaverse service is starting in 49 countries in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, the company said Wednesday.

SK Telecom started its ifland metaverse service in 49 countries Wednesday. [SK TELECOM]

SK Telecom’s ifland metaverse service is starting in 49 countries in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, the company said Wednesday.

First introduced in Korea in July 2021, the ifland app is now available in English, Japanese and Chinese under the slogan “The New Way of Socializing.”

SK Telecom has been working with overseas telecom companies for the global expansion of ifland.

In October, the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with e&, a telecom in the United Arab Emirates, to enter that local market. For the Southeast Asian market, it is working with Singapore’s Singtel.

SK Telecom hopes to offer services and features catering to each country.

Last Friday, it signed an MOU with Japan’s NTT Docomo for joint projects including metaverse businesses.

The companies are considering creating metaverse content involving K-pop and J-pop together, and possible joint investments in metaverse-related companies.

Danish fashion company Birger Christensen’s products will be featured in the metaverse service this year, said SK Telecom.

SK Telecom is also working with Thailand’s BSRU, or Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University, and Korea’s Dong-Ah Institute of Media and Arts for a metaverse campus project.

SK Telecom will help the universities share online lectures in English, Thai and Korean.

New functions have been updated for the app with the global release, such as a wider variety of character customization options and a direct message feature. SK Telecom is planning K-pop content and events in English to attract overseas users.

As of September, ifland had a total of 12.8 million users, a fourfold increase through this year, according to SK Telecom.

“ifland became Korea’s leading social metaverse service, attracting popularity from a wide age group and diverse organizations, since it began service in July last year,” said Yang Maeng-seok, head of SK Telecom’s metaverse division.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]