6G, AI competition intensifies among Korean telecom giants

[Courtesy of LG Uplus]

South Korea’s three major telecommunication carriers are vying for leadership in future technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and 6G.

SK Telecom Co. plans to showcase its AI technologies during its two-day group-wide technology fair, SK Tech Summit 2023, scheduled for November 16 and 17. This year’s event will place a strong emphasis on AI, with over 60 percent of the exhibited technologies focused on the technology, highlighting its central place in the company’s future growth plan.

Organizations outside SK will also participate in the fair, including Antropic PBC, into which SK Telecom invested $100 million in August, along with its local K-AI Alliance partners, such as Sapeon Korea Inc., Konan Technology Inc., and Moloco Inc. The telecom carrier will also share innovation cases at the fair using its own hyperscale AI and large language model, while Sapeon will unveil the company’s next-generation AI chip, the X330.

Last month, SK Telecom Chief Executive Officer Ryu Young-sang stated the company’s target to exceed 25 trillion won ($18.4 billion) in sales by 2028 and increase the share of its AI business up to 36 percent during a press conference. Ryu added that SK’s strengths as a telecom carrier will be highlighted by its AI services, including bi-directional sequential translation and AI personal assistants.

Meanwhile, LG Uplus Corp. is focusing more on 6G technology. On Tuesday, LG Uplus hosted the 6G Tech Festival in Seoul, where many of its telecommunications equipment partners, including Nokia Corp., Ericsson Inc., and Samji Electronics Co., were in attendance. LG Uplus introduced key technologies for Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN), urban air mobility (UAM) aerial network quality measurement solutions, and satellite network research and development using quantum computers. LG Electronics Inc. showcased the terahertz (THz) transceiver modules required for the 6G era.

Although 6G, the next generation of communication, is expected to be commercially available around 2030, the industry is actively working to secure related technologies and establish technological standards to be a step ahead. While LG Uplus has fewer 5G subscribers compared to other carriers, it is building its competitiveness for the 6G era, leveraging a broad ecosystem of partner companies including LG Electronics.

For its part, KT Corp. plans to officially launch its own hyperscale AI model, Mi:dm, at the end of this month, with the carrier planning to apply the AI model to its other in-house services. KT is also preparing a revenue model based on usage fees and intends to provide the AI platform to B2B customers.

KT has been making aggressive investments under the leadership of new CEO Kim Young-shub, employing an “AI full-stack” approach, which encompasses the entire process from hardware, including AI chips and the cloud, to hyperscale AI models and software. Since Kim’s appointment at the end of August 2023, KT has invested 10 billion won in both domestic AI startups Upstage Co. and Mathpresso Inc.’s Qanda.

Ahead of its regular personnel shakeup, which could come as early as November, KT is expected to accelerate progress in technology innovation, including cloud, AI, holographic communication, and quantum technology under Kim’s leadership.